The Captive
by BeInspiring1999
Summary: Neverland is a very dangerous place and is ruled by one of the most powerful, arrogant beings in all the realms; Peter Pan. But when he decides to kidnap Catherine, he learns that he may have finally met his match, both in power and mind.
1. Chapter 1

_Catherine's POV_

"Bye Catherine! See you tomorrow!" my friend Angela called as she walked towards her car. "You sure you don't need a ride home?"

"Yeah. I'll be alright walking home. Besides, this is probably one of the last days I'll be able to walk home," I reply, smiling.

"Well, alright. Call if you need anything," she says and climbs into her car.

I sigh. It had been a long day and all I really wanted was some time alone to think. I turn in the direction of my house and began to walk. It wasn't that far from where I worked, but the walk did tend to take a little while. I turned the corner down a dark ally way. I hate coming this way, but it's the most direct route to my home. It was then that I heard footsteps behind me. Without even turning around to see who it was, I take off running. In this part of town, it's the only thing you can do. Run. And pray that you are faster than the person chasing you.

Apparently my prayers went unanswered because whoever was after me was now on top of me.

"Stay silent if you would like to get out of this alive," a voice breathed in my ear.

The person then yanked me to my feet and whirled me around to face him. He had bright red hair and his clothes look as if he had just put a bunch of scraps together and called it good. But the one thing that attracted my attention most were his eyes. They were a vibrant shade of green and they seemed to glow with mischief.

My eyes opened wide. This could only be one person. Peter Pan.

"Well, this is going to be easier than I thought," he said smirking. "Good night, love." He then placed a cloth over my mouth and nose and everything went black.

When I finally came to, all I can hear is the crunch of leaves underfoot as we trudge through the forest. I can't see a thing and his shoulder bone is digging painfully into my gut. He has me slung over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and my hands are bound together. After what seems like ages, he finally dumps me onto the ground and I can't help but wince at the pain on impact. He then roughly removes the blindfold covering my eyes and I look at my surroundings. He has brought me to some sort of campsite and every where I look, I see boys dressed in shabby clothes with devilish grins on their faces. Then I look up at my captor himself and see that he is once again smirking.

"Mornin', love," he says.

"Peter Pan," I state sneeringly.

"Your's truly."

"What do you want?" I growl.

"Oh please, there's no need for attitude," he chuckles.

I roll my eyes. "That doesn't answer my question."

"Well, love, that is for me to know and you to find out," he says, still smirking.

"You brought me here for some reason, didn't you? I believe I deserve to know why," I exclaim, glaring up at him.

"Hmmm... Let me think about this. No."

"And why not?" I ask.

Peter ignores my question entirely and turns to the boy standing next to him saying, "Davis, take her to the cage." Pan then turns and strides away.

"Yes, sir," Davis replies cooly, smirking at me. Despite my protests, he roughly grabs my arm and hauls me away from the group of boys and into the surrounding forest. I wait until I'm sure we are out of earshot before I make my move. I stamp on his foot hard. He winces and loosens his grip just enough for me to break free. I then kick him in his midsection causing him to lose his balance and I snatch his spear away. I use the blade to slice the ropes binding my wrists and before Davis has time to call for help, I knock him out with one strategically placed blow. His unconscious form slumps to the ground and lays motionless at my feet. I grimace. He's going to have a huge lump on his head when he comes around.

"Sorry Davis," I whisper and I take off into the woods. Peter Pan brought me to Neverland for a reason, but he's forgotten one very important detail.

I've been here before.


	2. Chapter 2

_Peter's POV_

It has been a little over an hour since I ordered Davis to take the girl to the cage, and I was beginning to get uneasy. He still hasn't returned from the little errand I sent him on, and if he hasn't returned yet, it can only mean one of two things. Either the cage has malfunctioned again or...

"Damian! Pierce!" I summon the twins.

"Yes, sir?" they ask, hurrying to my side.

"Go find Davis and bring him to me now!" I command sharply.

"Yes, sir!" they reply in unison and hurry into the forest.

I began to pace because no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't sit still. About five minutes later, the two finally return. But something is wrong. They are carrying Davis's unconscious form between them and I can tell, even from where I stand, that the back of his head is beginning to swell.

"Pan! I found him!" Pierce, the brown eyed twin, called out to me.

"No you didn't, you nitwit! I did!" Damian, the blue eyed one, snapped.

"Never mind who found him! You're both idiots! Now where's the girl?" I shout, putting an end to their argument.

Both boys immediately cast their gazes to the ground. A sinking feeling forms in the pit of my stomach and I can feel the rage bubbling up inside of me. "I'll ask you one more time, boys. Where is she?" I ask through gritted teeth.

"We... we don't know. There was no sign of her anywhere," Damian stammers, fear in his eyes.

I curse under my breath and quickly grab my spear. "Boys!" I call and they all immediately fall in line. "Find her!"

Damian and Pierce deposit Davis on the ground and start to follow the others. I put my spear end directly in their path. "Oh no. Not you two." I state. Immediately, looks of panic cross their faces and I can't help but smirk. "You two stay here and keep an eye on Davis. And hope that I'm in a better mood when I return."


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey y'all! To answer izzythebella's question, yes this is kind of like that one section in season three of OUAT when they all go to Neverland to save Henry, but it is also similar to to the book as well and since both involve Peter Pan, I though it would be kind of redundant to call it a crossover since no one from OUAT is in this story. Hope you like the chapter! :D**

_Catherine's POV_

The forest is quiet, all except for the occasional call of a wild bird. A dove can be heard in the distance, its mournful melody floating on the breeze. All I can hear is the sound of my labored breathing and the pounding of my heart. In the distance, I can hear the lost boys laughter and music as they celebrate my capture. They obviously haven't figured out that I'm gone yet, but it'll only be a matter of time now. As long as the drums sound, I'm safe. My best bet would be to try and find Captain James Killigan. He's Pan's greatest rival and I know he would be willing to do anything to spite him. Even if it meant protecting me.

James, referred to more often as "Hook," is actually one of the most feared pirates to have ever existed. As the nickname implies, James has a hook for a left hand, graciously bestowed on him by Peter, who believed it would be hilarious to slice off Hook's hand and feed it to the crocodile that inhabits the island. Ever since the incident, the croc has been following Hook around, just waiting to get another taste. James has an ugly scar just above his right eyebrow and dark eyes that seem to see straight into your soul. Despite the scar, he's devilishly handsome and can coerce anyone into doing anything. He captains his ship with an iron fist and if anyone ever crosses him, the unlucky soul should pray that the good captain is in a merciful mood and puts a bullet between the individual's eyes.

Ever since Hook came to Neverland, he has wanted revenge on two people and swore he would never leave the island until his revenge was complete. The first one would be Pan. The other one is me. I had an unfortunate run-in with the captain on my first visit to Neverland. Apparently, the small locket I had been ordered to steal from him, had been more than just a trinket and he had chased after me to get it back. He followed me to the very top of the mast and where we engaged ourselves in a deadly sword fight. Eventually, I was able to distract him long enough to grab the small flag that flew the pirate colors. I then was able to entangle him within the flag. It was bad enough that he had been bested by a girl, but I decided to humiliate him further by pointing his own sword at him and forcing him to call himself a codfish in front of his entire crew. He did, of coarse, but he has hated me ever since.

I reach my hand up to feel the locket that was the cause of the whole incident. I had decided to keep it in case I would ever need it. It has become a part of me and now I was going to have to trade it away. I figured that the time would eventually come for me to give it up, but the thought still saddened me. A locket for a life. It seemed more than fair.

As I came out of my thoughts, I began to notice that something was off. The drums had stopped. It was time to move.

With spear in hand, I took off once again into the forest. I went quickly and silently, dodging fallen trees and low hanging branches. I listened carefully to my surroundings, for anything that would indicate that the boys were on my trail, but so far nothing. I had just about made it to the beach, when I heard a twig snap behind me. I whirled around to spot a boy that couldn't be much older than nine, aiming a spear at me. He stood boldly in front of me but I could tell from the look in his eyes that he was afraid.

"Pan wants to see you, miss," he said, voice shaking.

"Oh, does he? Then why doesn't he come get me himself?" I ask.

The boy only shrugs and I can't help but think of my own brother. "What's your name kid?"

"Noah. Noah Michealson." he replies, his voice a bit stronger.

"I like that name, Noah. Sounds strong," I praise and he grins.

"Well, Noah. I want you to go tell Pan that I have made it to Hook's ship and that if he wants me, he's going to have to come and get me himself," I tell him and he immediately sobers.

"I'm sorry, miss, but I can't do that."

"And why not?"

"Because."

"Because why?"

"Because he'll punish me. And I don't like getting punished by Pan," he states bluntly, the fear returning to his face.

"Well, I hope that you're prepared for a fight, because I am not going with you otherwise," I reply coolly, readying my weapon. The boy readies his as well, but I can see that he's not very confident about the choice he just made.

"How about we make this into a lesson on fighting, shall we?" I ask and lunge.

He teeters a bit, but is still able to deflect the blow.

"Very good, Noah! But try to widen your base. It'll help your balance!" I lunge again and this time he's ready. He blocks my attack and then goes for one of his own. I easily parry his attack.

After about five minutes of back and forth fighting, I decide that I have wasted too much time already and should finish it up.

"Well Noah, this has been delightful for me and hopefully enlightening for you, but now I've really got to split," I explain and grin. Before he has time to comprehend what I've just said, I lunge, knocking his spear away. I then whip his feet out from under him and am about to knock him out like I did with Davis when he reaches for something around his neck. I quickly realize what it is and try to snatch it away, but he's to fast for me. He blows into the mouth piece and a high pitched whistle pierces the air. And in the distance, I can hear them. The shouts of the lost boys signify that they heard the whistle. And they're coming for me.

I curse under my breath and glare at Noah. He now looks absolutely petrified. Without another word, I strike his head with the wooden end of my spear and dash towards the bay where, hopefully, I'll be able to find James's ship before Pan can get his hands on me.


	4. Chapter 4

_Peter's POV_

We had started our search over and hour ago, but there was still no sign of the girl. I am beginning to get irritated. I mean, how is it possible for a girl, who has never been to Neverland before, to simply vanish? And on top of everything else, managed to take out one of my finest men in the process? It just didn't make sense.

I take a deep breath. Once again my rage has caused my thoughts to get all jumbled together and cloud my judgement. If I want to find her, I need to keep my cool. I decide to go clear my head and take to the air. Flying always seems to help me focus and besides, I might be able to find her better with an aerial view. I get high up enough to surpass even the highest tree tops and begin my search. I see the occasional lost boy, obviously one of the newer ones sense they have absolutely no idea how to stay hidden.

Its then that I allow my thoughts to wander. It's really quite odd. When I went to fetch her, I knew that her powers were great. I practically felt them emanating from her when I touched her. And I had seen her picture previously in a drawing. But when I saw her face to face, I got the strangest feeling that I knew her. I felt a connection with her that I haven't felt with anyone else ever before. It was almost as if we had been friends once. Maybe even more than friends.

As soon as the idea came, I repulsively tried to push it away. To actually love someone would be like showing weakness. And Pan doesn't have weaknesses. But even as I thought this, I couldn't shake the look of her brilliant blue eyes from my mind, and the determination that they contained within.

I'm roughly jerked from my thoughts at the sharp sound of a whistle. It rings loud and true through the night air and I immediately recognize its origin. Its from one of the lost boys' whistles.

Upon initiation, each lost boy is issued a small wooden whistle. This whistle is used to alert the other boys of impending danger or if they have successfully found whatever it was they were sent to retrive. Two short whistles means that the target has been found. One long whistle means that the individual is in danger. The latter is the one that can be heard.

All the boys can be heard yelling below. Some of the older members have taken off in the direction of where the noise originated while the newer initiates look around in confusion. Some of the older ones stop and give directions to the younger ones and soon enough, we are all headed in the sound's direction. I can see that some of the boys who had arrived first are congregated around a small form lying unconsciously on the ground. They're all whispering softly to one another, but as soon as I land, all conversation ceases. I step forward and examine the boy lying limply in the grass. If I remember correctly, this one's name is Noah. He's one of the newer recruits so I'm not positive that's his name.

"Is he dead?" Curly, one of the bolder boys, asks.

"No, he's still breathing," I reply. That's when I notice the large bump beginning to swell on the top of the boy's head. The lump looks very similar to the one found on Davis's head only hours earlier. It was her. She was here.

Even though I'm extremely upset that she has escaped again, I can't suppress the grin that spreads across my face. This girl is definitely a force to be reckoned with.

"Well, what do we do know, sir?" Curly asks, stepping forward.

"All of you, get back to camp. And take him with you." I order, gesturing to the unconscious boy. "Curly! You come with me."

"Yes, sir!" he replies, grinnig.

After I'm sure the other boys are sufficiently out of earshot, I turn to Curly and explain my suspicions about what happened to the boy. He nods and listens patiently to my theory, and when I'm finished asks, "So what's the plan, sir?"

"You see these tracks here?" I ask gesturing to the one's that lead towards the bay. He nods. "None of our shoes make those kinds of tracks. Which means that these were made by the girl in her hurry to get away. And since they're headed towards bay..." I trail off.

"That means she's headed in the direction of Hook's ship," he finishes looking at me for affermation.

I can't help but grin. This is why Curly is one of my favorite lost boys. Not only is he good in a fight, but he is also incredibly intelligent. He picks up in things much quicker than the others and is a fantastic strategist when given the chance. Even now, I can see a plan forming in his head.

"Let's follow her tracks to see if we can catch her," he suggests, and I whole-heartedly agreed.

It takes us roughly twenty minutes to reach the beach due to many dead ends and round-about routes. This girl has gone to a lot of trouble to make sure we have a hard time finding her. When we finally reach the sand we scan the shore line for her. We're too late. Even from here, I can see her small form scrambling up the side of the ship and onto the deck.

"So what's the plan, sir?" Curly whispers next to me.

"I want to know what you think," I tell him.

He looks at me and a smile spreads across his freckled face. He begins to explain his plan to me and I'll have to admit, for a spur of the moment kind of thing, it was utterly brilliant. I would distract the pirates which shouldn't be too difficult considering the good captain and I are sworn enemies. Curly would then silently climb up onto the deck, snatch the girl, and use some of the pixie dust in my pouch to return to the beach. I would then meet them by the tree where we found the unconscious boy not a half hour ago.

I set off to perform my part of the task. I can't help but smile as I think about what I'm about to do and before I know it, I've reached the Jolly Roger. I fly silently to the top of the mast to get a good view of the events unfolding below me on deck.

Hook is sneering at the girl who stands confidently before him as he asks, "So Catherine, you'd like to trade the locket that you stole from me in exchange for protection from Pan, is that correct?"

"Yes, sir, it is," she replies calmly.

"Well my dear, that hardly seems fair considering that the locket is mine to begin with." He smirks, knowing he's got her there.

Surprisingly though, she remains calm as she strides to the side of the boat. "I had figured you would say that," she replies. "Which is why I brought him along." She gestures towards something in the water beside the boat, and I look, along with everyone else, at what she is referring to. Swimming merrily along beside the boat is the crocodile, more commonly know as the Tick-Tock Croc because of the noise he has made ever since he swallowed Hook's clock a couple of years back.

I look back at Hook and see that his complexion has turned deathly pale. "You see, James, the croc and I are old friends, and I'm pretty sure that if I allowed him to, he would love come up here and get another taste of you," the girl threatens innocently.

I become confused. How is it that she knows Hook's given name? How does Hook know her's? And how on Earth would she know the crocodile and the effect it has on Hook unless she'd been here before? It just didn't make sense.

I can now see that Curly has made it to the opposite side of the boat from where the croc is and I know that these questions will have to wait until later.

"Hook!" I yell to grab his attention. "I believe that you have something of mine." I land on the deck roughly three feet from him. I can see the girl inching towards where Curly is hidden towards the back end of the boat.

"Oh? And what, pray tell would that be?" Hook asks after regaining his composure.

"Not a what, but a whom. She's a young girl of about seventeen with long, dark hair and bright blue eyes. And I believe she is standing right over there." I say gesturing to her. She immediately stops moving and looks me straight in the eyes.

"By all means, take the little wench. She is of no use to me. This is one gem that I'm more than happy to release. Especially to the likes of you," he replies.

"Well then, I'll gladly take her off your hands," I say ostentatiously bowing to him. I look at the girl and shout, "Curly! You can take her now!"

He pops out from behind a bunch of barrels, rope in hand. He whirls her around to face him and automatically freezes.

"Katey?" he asks, recognition registering on his face.

Confusion can be seen lining her face, and after a moment of studying his, her eyes grow wide.

"Ethan?" she asks him, bewildered.

And that's when I realize that I'm seriously missing something here.

**Hey guys! Just want to start off by saying thank you for all of your support! And I'd love to hear your feedback! You know, like what you think about events in the story and the like. I am also completely open to constructive criticism. I know that if I want to get better as a writer, there are going to be some things I'll need to fix. Thanks again for all the support, and I'll try ot have the next chapter up sotime in the near future! :D**


	5. Chapter 5

_Catherine's POV_

"Catey?" the boy Pan referred to as Curly asks, peering into my face.

I am completely and utterly confused. No one has called me by that name in years. The only person who ever used that name with me was...

"Ethan?" I ventured uncertainly.

A huge grin spread across his freckled face and I knew from his dimples that it was him. He was here. He was real. And he was alive. I can't stop the grin that spreads across my own face.

"I can't believe it," he explains examining me from head to toe. "Its really you! You're actually here!"

Before I can reply, I find myself wrapped in one of his huge bear hugs that he only reserved for me. The act brings tears to my eyes. I hadn't felt his warmth, his love, in such a long time. We hear someone clear his voice from behind us, bringing us back to the present.

I turn and see an extremely annoyed Pan glaring at us. "Curly, would you like to share what's going on?" he inquires, eyes narrowed and scowl in place.

"Well... Um..." Ethan struggles to find the words to explain.

I look from Pan to Ethan and back again before I finally make the connection. I quickly shove Ethan away. "You're one of them?" I shriek, trying to put as much distance as I can between me and both boys. Ethan takes a few steps forward, attempting to explain, but stops after receiving a glare from Pan.

Hook then enters the conversation. "I'm afraid, my dear, that you have out stayed your welcome," he says coolly. "Men! Kill them!"

Ethan sighs exasperatingly. "Sorry, sis, but we'll have to talk later," he apologizes, lifting me into his arms. He then runs over to the side of the boat and tosses me over the side. An involuntary scream escapes my lips, but just before I hit the water, I thrust my arms out in front of me and I begin to levitate just above the water's surface. It looks dark and cold and threatening and I breath a sigh of relief. Above me, I can hear the sounds of a sword fight taking place on deck. I know that this will probably one of my last opportunities to escape, but the thought of my brother fighting up there with only Pan as support makes me nauseous.

Somewhat annoyed, I fly back up onto the deck and look around for a weapon I could use. Upon my arrival onto the ship, my spear had been confiscated, and without a means of defense I feel completely vulnerable. I spy a pirate that had already been dealt with and hurry over to obtain his weapon. The weight of the sword felt good in my hands, and I grin. Oh how I've missed this. I feel some one approaching me from behind, and I whirl around to face my first opponent.

He's a larger man with strong arms and an unshaven face with hair so greasy, its debatable as to whether or not he's ever bathed. He comes at me at full speed and I use that to my advantage. Just as he is about to tackle me, I leap into the air and land behind him. He collides with the railing of the ship, and I can see that the force of the impact has knocked the wind out of him. He recovers quickly, though, and charges me again. This time he's a little slower and I decide to once again use his speed against him. I let him get close enough to see the whites of my eyes before I use my magic to transport myself behind him. He stops and stands there confused at what had just happened. I lightly tap his shoulder. "Look behind you, dear," I say.

He whirls around to face me, but before he has a chance to do anything, I take a successful jab at him. The shock is apparent on his face as his now lifeless body sinks to the ground. I grimace. I haven't performed a deed like that in a long time. My hands are beginning to feel dirty again. I had missed the feel of a weapon in one's hands, but had forgotten the consequences of using one. I don't let the thought distract me, though, and begin to fight my way over to my brother. He is currently taking on three pirates and I cut one down on arrival. Ethan shoots me a quick look of gratitude and apology and I smile in return. All was forgiven. We were a team again.

I look around, trying to find others that are on our side, but the only one I see is Pan, who is currently occupied fighting with the captain. "Didn't you think to bring some back up?" I shout over the sounds of battle.

"Well, we didn't think that it would be this difficult to get you off the ship," Ethan replies. "I wasn't really expecting you to be you."

I groan. Sometimes my brother could be a real idiot.

We had already cut down seven of the pirates, but still more came to fill their vacant spots. I realize that we are extremely outnumbered and begin to look for an escape. I find it and jab Ethan with my elbow. I nod towards the balcony on the side of the ship where the croc waits below.

"Are you crazy?" he shouts.

"Its the only way!" I reply. "You just have to trust me!"

He reluctantly nods and I take his hand in mine. We then take off through a break we had just created between the wall of pirates. When we reach the balcony, we jump.

I can hear my brother screaming next to me and below, I can see the croc's jaws opening wide. I summon all of my strength and pull up. We are now floating just above the wide jaws with deadly sharp teeth and I sigh with relief.

Unfortunately, since I haven't used magic in a while, my powers are a bit rusty. We are slowly getting closer and closer the giant crocs mouth. I wrap both hands around Ethan's and pull harder, trying to get higher, but its no use. All it does is drain my strength.

Just as we are about to enter the predator's mouth, a pair of deceivingly thin but strong arms, wrap around my waist. We immediately are pulled up and are rocketing through the air. Ethan whoops below me, but I cannot share his joy. The one who saved us can only be one person, and I know that there is absolutely no chance of escape now.

When our rescuer is sure that we are a safe distance from the ship, he turns back and shouts, "I'm sorry, captain, but I'm afraid our dual will have to continue another day!"

"You insufferable pipsqueak! Come back here and fight like a man!" Hook bellows from the balcony of his ship.

"Sorry Hook, but as you can see, my hands are full!" Pan laughs. He then turns and takes off with us in the direction of the forest.

"FIRE!" Hook orders his crew. The cannons sound behind us but Pan doesn't dare turn around. In fact, I can feel us picking up speed.

We soar over the tree tops and after a while, the sounds of cannon fire begin to fade away. Once Pan's sure we are far enough inland, he begins his decent. When we get close enough to the ground, he drops me. I quickly scramble to my feet and get into a fighting stance, prepared for anything he might throw my way.

As expected, Pan lands in front of me, but to my surprise, his attention is focused on something behind me. I turn and see Ethan standing there, brushing himself off as he rises to his feet. He's smiling at me and some of the tension leaves my body. I take a step towards him just as an iron grip takes hold of my wrist. I wince.

"Ah ah ah. You're not going any where, love," Pan scolds me, wagging a finger in front of my face. "Infact, no one is leaving this spot until I get some answers," he says transitioning his gaze from me to Ethan.

Ethan shifts uncomfortably under Pan's gaze, and peers into my face. I send pleas to him with my eyes to stay silent and we both say nothing for a time, until finally Ethan sighs.

"Alright, Pan. You win," Ethan relents, shoulders slouching in defeat. He then leans back slightly, crosses his arms, and looks directly into Pan's eyes. "What is it you want to know?"

"How do you two know each other?" he asks after a short silence.

"Catey is my baby sister," Ethan replies shortly.

Pan nods and asks his next question. "Why didn't you tell me she was your sister when you saw her earlier?"

"I wasn't positive that it was her until just know on Hook's ship, sir," he answers.

Seeming satisfied with these answers, Pan then turns his attention to me. "Now its your turn, love," he says smirking. His grip on my wrist is relentless as I struggle to free my arm.

"I won't answer any of your questions until you loosen your grip on my arm," I say, glaring at him.

He grins. "I'll do you one better, love," he says letting go entirely.

My shock must be apparent on my face for his grin widens. I begin to rub my wrist and take a step back from him.

"Now," he begins, frown returning to his face. "How is it that a girl like you is able to fight as good as, or maybe even better, than any of my men? And on top of that, go missing for over an hour without even me being able to track you?" he asks.

This question causes Ethan to look surprised and I shoot him a warning glance. "I don't know, Pan. Guess you and your boys are just having an off night."

"Don't play coy with me, love. Your little escape attempt has already left me in a foul mood," he threatens, taking a step closer to me.

"I'm sorry, but I truly have no idea how I successfully pulled off my 'little escape attempt' as you call it," I reply, standing my ground.

His scowl deepens and he grabs my arm bringing his face only inches away from my own. My breath catches at his closeness and I can hear my heart pounding in my ears, feeling positive that he can hear it too.

He then whispers into my ear, "I'll ask you one more time, love. How did you do it?"

I take a deep breath to calm myself and reply, "The answers you seek can only be found in the past. Only you can unlock the memories that lie within."

He then shoves me to the ground in frustration and I smirk up at him, knowing I've won this battle.

"You deal with her, Curly. I am in no mood to do so," Pan orders and then disappears, transporting himself to another part of the island.

I breath a sigh of relief at his departure. My secret is safe. For now.


	6. Chapter 6

_Peter's POV_

I pace back and forth silently in my hiding place within the trunk of Hangman's Tree. Its the only place on the entire island where I can go to think without being bothered. Little Catey's words continue to repeat over and over again inside my head.

_"The answers you seek can only be found in the past. Only you can unlock the memories that lie within."_

The memory of her soft voice whispering those cursed words into my ear and the smirk she had thrown my way afterwards causes my blood to boil.

I try to reign in my temper, knowing that, even though the thought is extremely tempting, killing the girl is not an option. I need her powers and after her little attempt at using them tonight, I realize that I have my work cut out for me. Thankfully she won't need training with a weapon. Gives her more time to grow and develop her magical abilities.

I sigh. That still doesn't answer the question as to why she already knows so much about my island.

And I hate not knowing things.

* * *

><p>When I return to camp, I can see that the boys have already begun the celebration of our little Catey's recapture. I smirk. They always know how to brighten my mood even if they don't know I'm it. A huge bonfire has been lit and boisterous laughter can be heard throughout camp. Drums can be heard and boys can be seen dancing around the flames.<p>

As I near them, some of the boys jump up and plead with me to play my pipe along with their music. Because my mood has considerably brightened, I comply. I situate myself on a log on the far side of the fire and begin to play. Whoops and hollers of glee can be heard from each individual boy. I smile as I watch them dance but notice that someone is missing. I look around for a minute and spot Curly on the other side of the flames.

And he's sitting next to her.

I could have sworn I told him to deal with her and my anger begins to rise again. He was supposed to put her in the cage, not invite her to dinner!

I begin to study the siblings and after a moment, my anger subsides. I can see the look that Curly gets when he's feeling protective of one of his brothers here as he gazes at the girl. She looks worried, almost tense, and he keeps saying things to her, as if trying to make her smile. I can't hear exactly what he says from where I am, but eventually something he says works because her mouth slightly curves upward.

My attention is then drawn to their hands. Her knuckles are nearly white as she grasps Curly's hand. It looks as though she's afraid to let go of him, almost as if she does, he might disappear.

This causes me to become curious. If she had missed her brother that much, how come she never tried to follow him here? She had the ability to but never did. Her words from earlier echo once again through my subconscious.

_"The answers you seek can only be found in the past. Only you can unlock the memories that lie within."_

Just as I think this, her gaze lifts and locks with mine. The act surprises me enough to cause me to miss a note while I'm playing. I quickly turn my attention elsewhere, but can still feel her eyes on me.

At around midnight, I stop playing and tell the boys its time for bed. After much protesting, they finally begin to trudge sleepily towards their individual tents. I'm about to enter my own tent as well when a voice clears itself behind me.

"Whatever it is, the answer is no," I say tiredly, turning around to face whoever it is.

It's then I see Curly with his sister standing closely behind him. I sigh. "Well out with it then," I say.

"I was wondering, Pan, if you'd be alright with Catey staying in my tent with me?" he questions, making eye contact with me.

"Fine. So long as you don't let her out of your sight," I answer.

"Thanks, sir. I will take full responsibility for any of her actions," he assures.

"I'll hold you to that," I reply, smirking.

"Night, Pan."

"Good night, Curly," I say, ducking into my tent.

Its not long after my head hits the pillow that I am dragged into the black abyss of sleep, and all the worries of the day begin to fade away.

Before I completely lose consciousness, however, I think to myself, _Tomorrow, I'm gonna have some fun teaching our little Catey a few lessons._

* * *

><p>I rise with the sun as I always do. Normally, I'd wake up the boys as well, but after all the fun we had last night, I decide to let them sleep in. I decide to take a walk through the rare quite of the forest.<p>

As I walk, I can hear a lark singing in a nearby tree and the sound calms me. I use this as a time to think and process the events of the previous day. After a little while, I realize that someone else had the same idea.

I can feel her aura before I see her. She, like all the other boys, gives off a distinct pulse of magic that is unique to each person. I've learned through the years that each person has a certain amount of magic in them and each person's individual aura is so unique that it almost acts as a fingerprint if you are like me and can sense auras. Most people who can only use them to find certain people. The amount of magic within an individual tends to vary from person to person. Some only have enough to cause a fire to stay burning a little longer than its supposed to and never realize that they have magic inside them. Others have powers that are more prevalent. Like hers.

I stand there for a while, just leaning against a tree, watching her to see what she'll do. She could run if she wanted to. It would have been the perfect opportunity to do so. And yet, all she does is sit there, listening to the forest surrounding her.

"I know you're there, Pan," she states, not moving an inch.

She could probably sense my aura, but still, her skill at identifying that the person was me leaves me somewhat impressed.

I leave my spot next to the tree and stride towards her. "You'd be correct, love," I say, sitting down next to her. I see her body stiffen from where she sits and I chuckle. "You don't have to fear me, love. I have no intention of harming you," I assure.

"At least not yet," she mumbles.

I pretend not to hear her and continue. "So, what's a little girl like you doing out here all alone?" I ask.

"What's it to you?" she counters.

"Oh, nothing. Just trying to make conversation," I reply.

The silence afterwards stretches on for a while before I speak again. "I can teach you to use them, you know? How to strengthen them and use them properly," I say.

"Strengthen what?" she asks.

"Your powers. You could do great things with them if only you learned how to use them," I answer.

"What makes you think I'd want to learn? Especially of you're the one teaching me?" she questions, turning to look at me.

"Because," I say, looking into her piercing blue eyes, "its your only option if you ever want to leave."

"What's the catch?"

I grin. I like this girl. She catches on quick. "You, love, just have to perform one simple task for me once I deem you strong enough to do so," I explain.

She turns away and thinks on my offer for a few minutes. I know my offer is too good for her to pass up, so I wait for her answer patiently.

When she turns back to face me again, she has her hand outstretched towards mine. "Deal," she says and we shake on it.

"Perfect!" I say standing up. "Our first lesson will be held here sometime after breakfast." I turn to walk away when her voice stops me.

"I do have one condition though," she says.

"Oh? And what's that, love?"

"Don't call me 'love.' That's not my name."

"Then what would you like me to call you?" I ask.

"Catherine."

"Not Catey then?"

"Nope. At least not for you, Pan. Catherine will do just fine."

I smirk at her. "Darn. I had really hoped to be able to call you Catey," I say.

I catch the small smile that plays across her lips and I gesture for her to precede me into the forest. She complies and we return to camp in silence.


	7. Chapter 7

_Catherine POV_

I am sitting on the log that I had occupied earlier that morning when Pan had first proposed the idea of giving me magic lessons. Unfortunately, he had failed to specify where to meet him and had strolled out of camp earlier without even a backwards glance in my direction.

So here I am, sitting on a log in the middle of a forest on some godforsaken island, waiting for a seriously bipolar boy to show up and give me magic lessons.

Good grief. Had it all really come to this?

Just as I am beginning to believe he stood me up, a voice sounds from behind me.

"Good. You came," Pan says, and I whirl around to face him. He's smirking. "Thought I stood you up didn't you?"

His accuracy at guessing my thoughts both intrigues and terrifies me. "Yes, actually, I thought you had," I reply smoothly, rising from the log I had been sitting on. "You're late."

"Oh, Catherine. You really should know that Peter Pan is never late. Especially when he never gave a designated time to meet in the first place," he says, smirk ever present on his face.

I open my mouth to reply, but immediately close it, realizing that he has a point.

"Besides," he continues, "your first test was on patience."

"You made that up on the spot just now, didn't you?" I ask, giving him a pointed look.

A look of surprise crosses his face and I smirk at his reaction. He quickly schools his face into one of indifference and shrugs. "Maybe, maybe not. I don't think it really matters because either way it was a test."

I roll my eyes at him and after a long moment of silence, he finally speaks up. "Now, on to more fun things."

I sigh and shrug. "Alright, then, what's first?"

"First, I want to see what you can do so," he answers disappearing. He reappears a little closer to the tree line, and says, "Let's play."

He smirks. Before I can think of a good retort, a huge blast of magic bursts forth from his hands and crashes into me, sending me flying. My back hits the trunk of the tree behind me and I feel the wind get knocked from my lungs.

"Come on, dearie. You can do better than that," he scolds. Just as I regain a standing position, the log I had been sitting on earlier collides with the backs of my legs. I am once again knocked off my feet and am now sprawled on my back. I can hear him laughing from where he still stands by the tree line.

I grunt and throw a glare in his direction. As I pull myself to my feet, I summon all of the strength that I can manage and aim all of my magic at him. He disappears before it ever leaves my palms, causing the blast to slam into the trunk of the tree that was behind him. I scan the clearing for any sign of him.

"Over here, love," he taunts, purposefully trying to provoke me while waving from where he leans casually against another tree.

I prepare myself for another attack, but when nothing happens I take the opportunity to make my own move. I fire at him once again, but this time my attack bounces off some kind of protective wall he has placed around himself. He smirks and disappears again.

Then it hits me. He's not trying to teach me, he's trying to intimidate me. Well I'm sorry to tell him, but its not going to work. I've seen a lot of magic in my time and this is nothing compared to some of the stuff I've seen.

I close my eyes and try to zero in on his aura. After a moment I feel it emanating from directly behind me. I glance slightly over my shoulder, just enough to tell that he is holding two fireballs, one in each hand.

I prepare a little counter attack of my own by creating a whirling ball of water between my palms. I turn around to face him, hands behind my back and I find him smirking cockily at me.

Without a word the two balls of fire are hurled in my direction. Just before they collide with me, however, I pull the water I conjured from behind my back and create a small wave with it, dousing the flames.

His smirk from earlier is gone and in its place is a look of irritation and I can't refrain from smiling sweetly at him.

"Nicely done, Catherine," he praises somewhat sarcastically. "But your powers are weak."

"Oh really? Says the guy who performs card tricks," I spit out at him, my mood drastically deteriorating.

His face contorts into a snarl and his posture has gone rigid, giving off a frustrated air, but I don't really care. If he thinks he can push me around just because I'm a girl who needs a little more practice time, then he's got another thing coming.

I return his stare with one equally as frustrated. He is the first one to break eye contact.

"We will continue your lessons tomorrow," he states coldly and disappears from the clearing, leaving me completely alone and utterly drained.


	8. Chapter 8

_Peter's POV_

I once again find myself pacing angrily around in my private sanctuary within Hangman's Tree, my frustration threatening to boil over. She is just so _irritating_.

Card tricks, ha! We'll see who's performing card tricks.

And that smirk! Just thinking about that cocky grin on her face makes me want to hex her. But I have to keep my cool. Hexing her isn't going to improve her already withering opinion of me, and I need her on my side if I'm going to try and convince her to perform the Shift for me.

Every hundred years, the Shift occurs, changing the entire layout of Neverland and renewing the magic that allows all those who call it home to remain young forever. But just like all other forms of magic, especially magic as powerful as the Shift, it comes at a price. If the Shift fails to obtain enough strength to occur, the island will fall into destruction and cease to exist.

And as ruler of Neverland, it is my job to make sure that doesn't happen. This is why every hundred years, I am forced to select a new individual to perform the spell needed to enact the Shift. The person I select has to be exceptionally powerful, otherwise they won't be able to successfully perform the spell. This time unfortunately, the only person I could find other than myself who is strong enough to take on this incantation was Catherine.

I know she has the ability to pull it off. I can feel the magic flowing through her every time I get in close proximity to her. She just needs to find a way to strengthen her powers and develop them into something much more reliable than they currently are. That way, the next time she decides to hurl herself over the side of a boat, she'll be able to save herself from getting eaten by the crocodile.

I smirk at the thought, but quikly sober when I think about the task ahead of us. The night of the Shift is vastly approaching, and unfortunatly, she has so much to learn before it arrives. I'm starting to worry that I made a grave mistake by bringing her here.

In three weeks time, the moon will be in perfect position and the Shift will to begin, with or without a castor. The only problem is that we're running out of time.

* * *

><p>I can feel her eyes following me as I maneuver my way through camp. I try to avoid eye contact as much as possible because her gaze is beginning to unnerve me. If looks could kill, I'm pretty positive that I would have been turned to smoldering ashes long before now. Her anger is completely understandable considering I left her in the middle of a clearing with nothing more than a sneer and a declaration that we would begin her lessons tomorrow. Once again, I failed to specify a time, but right now I don't really care. Serves her right for causing me to boil over.<p>

"You lost it again, didn't you?" a voice asks from behind me.

Sensing his aura and recognizing his voice, I acknowledge my right-hand's presence. "Lost what, Curly?" I ask, feigning ignorance.

"Your temper," he replies calmly.

After a long silence he says, "Well?" and I sigh.

"Yes, Curly, I did," I reply much harsher than I intend.

"You know she's never going to warm up to you if you continue to treat her like you are. And if I know my sister, she won't take kindly to being treated like a pet," he advises, ignoring my sharp tone.

"What do you mean 'like a pet'?" I ask, turning my head slightly to face him.

"Well, you know. Things like being forced to come and do your biding at every beck and call and having to submissively be objected to any criticism you throw her way without comment. She won't subject herself to those kinds of things without a fight. And if you continue treating her that way she will continue to resent you for it. She isn't exactly one who takes to authority," he explains, with a chuckle.

"Yes. I've noticed," I reply irritatedly.

He laughs. "Yeah. I pretty sure that she makes sure you notice."

"What do you think?" I ask suddenly.

"About what, Pan?"

"What kind of approach should I take with her?"

After giving me a surprised look, he answers. "Just start by building her trust. Throughout our lives, Catey has never really had anyone she could truly trust. I think she'd appreciate having someone other than me that she could rely on for support."

I look back at her and see she has turned her attention to the two boys, Michael and John, who are now sitting on either side of her. Michael is the youngest boy that lives here at age five and is by far the most inquisitive out of all the Lost Boys. I'm not surprised that he is one of the first ones willing to go up and talk to her. But his older brother John is a different story. John is only four years older than Michael, but has never really developed any people skills. He's extremely shy and the only two boys I have ever really seen him have an actual conversation with are his brother and Curly. It comes as quite a shock when I see him conversing freely with Catherine. Also, the fact that he's smiling and laughing along with her after only knowing her for a few minutes further peques my intrest.

Who is the girl behind the scales anyway? And why is that she blatently refuses to let me in?

I watch her, intrigued. No one has ever been able to reach John like that after only a couple of minutes. It normally takes months, sometimes years, for people to gain his trust.

I then watch in awe as the other boys begin to congregate around her as if she's one of them. Some look upon her with curiosity while the majority smile at her in acceptance. No one has ever made that kind of impression on the boys so quickly and, secretly, I'm a bit jealous.

"Besides," Curly continues, a mischievous smile on his face. "It might be nice to have someone as intuitive as her around. Even if she is a girl."

He then brushes past me to join the group of boys surrounding Catherine, and I'm left alone again with my thoughts.

After a moment, I grin. _Yes,_ I think to myself, _I guess she probably is a good addition to our lovely band of misfits._

After a while, my curiosity gets the best of me and I edge a little closer to where all the boys are gathered around the bonfire to find out what is so intresting. As I listen, I begin to realize that she is telling them a story.

"That's when he appeared through the mist. The evil Captain Hook now stood before the boys with a frightful sneer on his face as his rather large crew gathered behind him.

"'What are ye doin' with me treasure?' he asked menacingly.

"Little Michael bravely answered the captain. 'We were sent to find this treasure for our treasure hunt!' he declared.

"'Oh? Did ye now? Well, mark my words lads, this is the last treasure hunt you will have!' Hook shouted and shouted for his men to attack.

"The boys put up a valiant fight, but they were largely outnumbered by Hook's crew."

"But then Peter came and saved us all!" Michael yells excitedly, interrupting Catherine.

Some of the boys turn and glare at him while others attempt to shush him. "Let her finish!" Levi, one of the more impatient boys, snaps at him. Michael's ears begin to turn red and Catherine laughs. Its such a sweet sound that I find it hard to contain the small smile that tugs at the corners of my mouth.

She continues, "But Michael is right, you know. Because just as all hope seemed lost, Peter Pan did arrive. He challenged Hook to a duel and as the two enemies fought, the battle began to turn deadly. Both seemed to be evenly matched, but then Hook managed to knock the dagger from Peter's hand."

All the boys gasp in unison, but Catherine keeps her smile in check. "'Give up, boy' Hook says to Peter.

"'Never!' he stubbornly replies.

"Hook laughs and lifts his sword above Peter's head. 'Say good-bye, Peter Pan,' he says.

"It was then that Pan brought his knees up to his chest and kicked Hook in the gut, sending him flying across the deck. 'Good-bye!' Pan called to Hook.

"Pan and the boys then took the opportunity to escape along with the treasure and Hook has been searching for it ever sense," she finishes with a dramatic flourish.

All the boys cheer at the ending and I feel bad when I speak up to say, "Alright, you all have had your bedtime story. Its off to bed with you."

They all begin to groan when Catherine speaks up, "Now boys, if this is the reaction we are going to get every night I tell a story, I'm going to stop telling them."

This gets their attention and they all dash off to their tents. Some mumble a hurried "Good night" but most of them just sprint to their tents without another word. Catherine then stands to go as well and before I know what I'm doing I take hold of her arm. I feel her body go rigid and I internally wince. She then turns to me with guarded curiosity and I my mind goes blank as to what I was going to say.

"Do you need something, Pan?" she asks innocently.

I nervously clear my throat and swallow. "Um... No. Actually, I just wanted to let you know that your lessons will start shortly after breakfast."

"Oh," she says sounding almost dissapointed. I find myself gazing at her full red lips that are practically begging to be kissed. We start edging closer together, our breaths beginning to intermingle. She then blinks a couple of times and takes a step back.

She gives me a small smile and says, "See you after breakfast then."

"Yeah," I say coming back to my senses.

"Good night, Peter," she says quietly and walks toward the tent she shares with Curly.

"Good night," I reply as she ducks into her tent.

When I finally get into my own tent, I lay down and stare up at the ceiling. The last thing I see before sleep drags me under, is a vision of Catherine, her piercing blue eyes gazing intently into mine.


	9. Chapter 9

_Catherine's POV_

The next morning, I sit on one of the logs surrounding the fire and attempt to keep my gaze away from Pan as he calmly strolls about the boys as they eat, stealing the occasional bite of food and playfully jostling the boys when he's caught. I can't get the thought of our almost kiss out of my head. To reassure myself, I keep saying that we were tired and had lost our senses for a moment, but remembering how he had looked at me gives me cause for worry.

I can't fall in love with Peter. Not again. It hurt too much the last time after I learned what he had done. Learned that he had betrayed my trust.

I had specifically told him not to harm Lance, and that he hadn't meant to hurt me. At the time, Pan had agreed not to punish him too harshly and I guess I was satisfied with that. Later on, however, I learned from one of the other boys that Pan had taken Lance's heart and had drained all the life from it, killing Lance. I approached him about it later and he had said that if he didn't dish out a good punishment every now and then, others would begin to believe they could defy him as well. I had told him that it was a sorry excuse for taking someone's life and, enraged at my comment, he had struck me, saying that if I ever went against him again, Ethan's would be the next life he took.

The man had become a monster and I had no choice but to flee. Ethan had agreed to come with me and to make sure Pan couldn't find us, I erased his memory as well as those of the other Lost Boys so that they would never be able to remember us and wouldn't recognize us if they ever saw us again. It had hurt so much knowing the magnitude of my actions and how I'd never be able to look them in the eyes again and see recognition register on their faces that I hadn't been able to contain my tears for the first time in years.

Eventually, I was able to escape from Neverland. My brother hadn't returned to the real world with me because he couldn't imagine living anywhere other than Neverland, we had been here so long. But I could not stand staying here with Pan being so close by.

I guess Ethan got lonely a while after I left and rejoined Peter and the Lost Boys. Things have obviously been pretty good considering he is now Pan's right hand man.

Throughout the entire experience, however, I learned a very valuable lesson. You can't place your trust in others because they will only end up letting you down and eventually you'll end up getting hurt.

The thought brings tears to my eyes and I feel a lump form in my throat. I force my emotions down refusing to let them show. I refuse to cry over him again.

I feel a set of eyes on me and I glance up. Pan's eyes meet mine and I see that he has a concerned look on his face. I quickly look away, thankful when I see Michael Darling coming over to sit with me. He is a sweet boy and his brother is a bit shy but otherwise is very kind. I remember both of them from the last time I was here and I think that deep down, they sense that they know me from somewhere. I think this is why they, along with some of the other boys that I recognize, have warmed up to me so quickly. I vaguely remember that the Darling brothers had a sister. Wendy, I think is what they called her, but she left so early on due to homesickness and fright that I can't be sure. Her departure certainly supported the fact that Neverland isn't a place for the faint-hearted.

"What cha thinkin' 'bout, Cat?" he asks me sweetly. I can't help but smile at my new nickname. Apparently 'Catherine' is to hard for some of the younger boys to say, so Michael asked if they could call me 'Cat.' He had asked so innocently that my heart practically melted and I just couldn't bring myself to tell him no.

"Oh, nothing that important. Just daydreaming I guess," I reply, smiling at him.

"Well, what were ya dreamin' 'bout?" he asks, curiosity filling all his features.

"About something that happened to me before Pan brought me here," I reply with a half truth.

"Was it sad? Because you looked kind of sad. That's why I came over here. I wanted to see what was wrong so I could try and make you happy again," he explains. looking up at me with those large brown eyes.

My smile fades a bit as I answer, "Yes, Michael. It was sad."

"You wanna talk 'bout it?"

"Not really."

"If its a secret, its okay. You don't have to worry 'bout me tellin' anyone. I'm a good secret keeper," he says pointing to himself as he proudly puffs out his chest.

I can't help but laugh at his antics. "Don't worry, Michael. Its nothing. I'll be fine," I say giving him a half-hearted smile as I tousle his hair.

He giggles, then becoming very serious again, asks me, "You wanna know somethin' I don't understand?"

"What don't you understand?"

"What I don't understand is why people think sad thoughts. Wouldn't everyone be happier if they thought of happy thoughts instead?" he questions.

"Yes, everyone probably would be happier if they thought of happy thoughts. But sometimes people can't help but think of sad thoughts, especially if someone has hurt them," I explain to him.

"Well I think that people need to stop hurtin' other people so that you won' have ta think sad thoughts and can smile more," he says.

"I think that's a good idea, Michael," I say as I pull him into my lap and wrap him in my arms, squeezing him tight.

"Hey Michael! Come on! We're gonna play hide and seek!" Noah, the kid I knocked out the other night and Michael's best friend, calls from where he stands by the outskirts of camp.

Michael quickly hugs me back and once we separate, he scrambles from my lap to go join Noah, John, and the twins, Pierce and Damian, as they head off into the woods to play their game, grabbing their weapons as they leave.

I watch them long after they disappear into the trees and wonder if I could go join them. A throat clearing behind me interrupts my thoughts and I turn slightly where I sit to face Peter.

"You ready?" he asks, arms crossed over his chest.

"As ready as I'll ever be," I reply shrugging.

We walk side by side in silence for a while until he finally says, "They seem to like you. The Lost Boys, I mean."

"What makes you say that?" I ask keeping my eyes trained in front of me.

"Well, I've never seen the boys take to anyone so quickly, especially John," he answers.

"Ah," I reply and silence descends upon us once more.

"They seemed to like your story," Pan tries again to engage me in conversation.

"Them or you?" I ask teasingly, then internally scold myself. I shouldn't be teasing him like that if I want to be able to keep him at arms length.

"Both," he replies chuckling. Its such a deep, strong sound that my heart begins beating rapidly.

I feel his eyes watching me. I know he wants to ask about what I was so upset about earlier, but thankfully he hasn't attempted to pry. I'm not entirely sure how I would answer any of his questions. I flash him a quick, and hopefully reassuring, smile and we continue our walk in silence.

Before I know it, we've reached the clearing where Pan nearly killed me yesterday and lied to me about starting my magic lessons.

"You are actually going to teach me magic today, correct?" I ask.

"Yes, I am actually going to teach you magic today," he answers, coming around to face me. "The first thing that all magical beings should learn is the protection spell," he begins. "That way, if you get into any form of a magical duel, you will be able to protect yourself. You remember that wall I placed around myself for protection from your curse yesterday, right?"

"How could I forget?" I reply and he smirks.

"Well, today I'm going to teach you how to make one of your own," he says. He then takes both of my hands in his and faces them palms outward, towards himself. "Eventually you will be able to do this without needing to put your hands up, but while you're learning it will help you conduct the flow of your energy."

"Okay," I say.

"Now, I want you to think of the happiest moment in your life," Pan instructs.

"Why?" I ask.

"Because magic is created though strong feelings of emotion and if you are thinking of the happiest moment in your life, your magic tend to be more dependable," he explains. "Now think," he repeats.

I close my eyes and try to picture the moment that made me the happiest. The memory I choose startles me, but I can't deny that it was the happiest moment in my whole life. Its one of those memories that feel as though they happened only yesterday. It was the time when Peter asked me to become the very first lost girl and was the first time I had ever felt accepted by anyone, actually loved.

"Do you have it?" Pan asks, a hint of a smile in his voice.

"Yes," I say, my eyes still closed.

"Good. Now I want you to imagine yourself building a wall with the happiness you are feeling. A wall of warmth and protection that no one will ever be able to penetrate."

I do as he asks and soon, a feeling of calm envelopes my entire being.

"Open your eyes, Cat," he says and I do as I'm told. Its then that I see a shimmering wall surrounding me that normally you wouldn't be able to see if you weren't looking for it. Pan is smiling from the other side of the wall and its not one of his playful smiles. Its a genuine one that reaches all the way to his eyes.

I can't contain my excitement. "I did it! I actually did it!" I yell. I then remove the wall and Peter comes and stands next to me. Before I know whats happening, I am lifted into the air and am spinning in circles. A giggle bursts from my mouth and he laughs along with me.

He slowly sets me down and says with a hint of pride in his voice, "You did it."

I look down bashfully only to notice that I'm still wrapped in his embrace. I take a step back from him, the heat rising in my cheeks.

"Well that was definitely enlightening, but shouldn't we be getting back to camp?" I ask.

"Why? You've only done the spell once. And besides, its not even noon yet, Cat," he says and I catch what he calls me.

My head snaps up and I ask him, "Who gave you permission to call me that?"

"You gave your permission to the boys to call you Cat and I'm leader of the boys so I just assumed..." he trails off and I can see where he's coming from with his reasoning. "Can I call you Cat or would you rather me keep calling you Catherine?" he asks.

"I guess Cat is ok." He smiles at this. "Just please try to keep it to a minimum," I ask.

"Whatever you desire madam," he says, mockingly bowing to me. "Now, milady, might we continue practicing your protection spell?"

"But of course, my good sir, for what else is there to do out here?" I reply continuing the charade.

He grins up at me as he comes out of his bow. "Very good, milady. Let us continue then, shall we?"

We continue practicing until noon, my magic walls of physical protection becoming stronger and my metaphorical walls of emotional protection gradually beginning to crumble.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Hey guys! So sorry that it's been so long since my last update. I've had so much that I've had to do over the last couple weeks for school and getting ready for Christmas that it's been a while since I've actually gotten a chance to really breath. I've also been sick the last couple of days and haven't even really wanted to move, so today I was finaly able to get this chapter up. Yay! I hope you'll let me know what you think of it and I'll try to get the next chapter up in the near future. Hope y'all are having a great weekend! :D<strong>_


	10. Chapter 10

_Peter's POV_

As the week progresses, I begin to get the feeling that Cat is gradually warming up to me. I can still feel her resentment towards me, and it's understandable that she feels this way considering I haven't exactly been the nicest to her. What I don't understand is why her feelings of resentment are so strong. She tries to hide it, but whenever I get close to her or touch her, she goes rigid as if she's preparing for an attack. There have only been a few moments when she has let her guard down enough that I got to see her smile. And not a fake one she has plastered on for other people's benefit. Its a genuine smile that goes all the way to her eyes, causing them to shine bright like sapphires in the dark of night.

I silently watch her as she performs the protection spell for what feels like the hundredth time today. We have come to this same little clearing multiple times over the past few days for her to practice, and each day she improves. She has excelled far faster than I originally thought she would have, and no longer needs to raise her hands to direct her magic. She does still have to close her eyes to envision her happy memory though, but will eventually be able to perform the spell without needing to concentrate so hard.

I begin to wonder what her happy memory is. According to Curly, Cat's life has been full of disappointments, which explains why she struggles recalling happy memories to fuel her magic. I wish she trusted me enough to share her own story with me, but I know I should just be patient and wait until she's ready to open up. Besides, its not like I've known her that long.

"How was that?" she asks, bringing me back out of my thoughts.

"Perfect," I say rewarding her with a smile. "I want you to do it one more time before we head back. This time though, I want you to try it without closing your eyes."

Her smile fades as she says, "I don't think I'm ready for that yet, Pan."

For a moment, I stand there in shocked silence. That was the first time she has ever been so honest about something with me without it coming out as sarcastic or overly blunt.

"Well, you'll never know if you never try. Besides, you're already able to do it without raising your hands. If you can do that already, you can surely do it without too much concentration," I say, and smirk at her with the hope that she missed my slight moment of silent shock.

She flashes me a little smirk of her own and I know she caught it. I sigh exasperatedly and after a moment, she follows suit. "Alright. I'll try," she concedes, albeit reluctantly.

She takes a deep breath and I can see her envisioning the wall again inside her head.

"Just look at me. Don't close your eyes," I direct.

Her eyes lock onto mine and before we both know it, a shimmering veil passes between us and her protection spell is in place. A wide grin spreads across her face as she realizes she has successfully pulled it off, and I smile back.

"I told you," I say.

"Yes, yes you did," she replies as the veil disappears. "So what are you going to teach me next?"

Her eagerness causes me to laugh. "Nothing else today. You look drained enough as it is."

She frowns at this and I chuckle. "Don't worry though. That only makes what's coming tomorrow even more special," I say. I then walk past her in the direction of camp and she hurries slightly to catch up with me.

After a moment of silence, she speaks. "I wanted to thank you. You know, for teaching me," she says, looking straight ahead of us.

"It is my pleasure, milady," I tease and she smiles thinly.

"I mean it, Peter," she says, glancing up at me. My breath catches when she calls me by my first name. Its rare when any one calls me that, and it always seems to knock me off guard. Even more so with her since she's normally so tense around me.

"My mom never saw any reason to teach me how to use my powers," she continues quietly. "I guess she thought I could potentially become a threat, so I never got a chance to learn. Sure I was able to teach myself the simpler, everyday things like levitation, summoning, and teleportation, but I have never really been able to have full control over my powers until now. So thank you."

"Its no trouble. You're actually pretty easy to teach," I say truthfully.

She smiles up at me, one of her rare, genuine ones this time, and then we fall into silence once again.

Most of our walks to and from the clearing are like this. Neither of us speak as we just enjoy each other's company. I smile when I think of how she shared a part of her story with me and I begin to feel more confident about her eventually opening up to me. Just telling a small part shows progress, and I feel relief knowing that she trusts me, even if it is just a little bit.

"I want you to know that if you ever needed someone to talk to, I'd be more than happy to listen to whatever it is you have to say," I tell her.

"I'll keep that in mind," she replies, a rather strained smile on her lips.

Without giving the action much thought, I reach out and grasp her fingers in mine. She stiffens immediately at my touch and swiftly pulls her hand away, clasping her hands together in front of her. To my dismay, I feel a twinge of pain in my chest and am suddenly repulsed by what I just did. What is wrong with me? Why the heck am I trying to sway this girls feelings in my favor? The Shift will occur in just a few weeks and then I will be through with her and will never have to see her again, so what does it matter if she likes me?

I look over at her and see that she's now twisting her hands where she clasped them in front of her just moments before. She looks very upset which only causes me to frown and instead of apologizing like I planned to, I look away from her and we continue our journey back to camp in silence.

* * *

><p>At dinner that night, I find it infuriatingly difficult to keep my gaze from following Cat as she walks around and converses with many of the boys. She occasionally will glance towards me and when she does, I immediately turn my attention elsewhere. But to my frustration, my eyes still continue to seek her out despite my desperate efforts against it.<p>

"Sight-seeing tonight, are we Pan?" Curly asks teasingly, plopping down next to me on the log I'm sitting on.

I jab him with my elbow and glare icily at him, but refuse to say anything that would egg him on.

This doesn't serve the purpose I'd hoped it would have, because it only leads him to laugh out, "The great and benevolent Peter Pan is speechless! What has the world come to?"

I glare at him, softer this time, and turn my attention back to the scene before me. Cat is now holding Michael in her lap as the boys all settle down around her to eat.

She has cooked dinner tonight; a very delicious stew, with all the game the boys had caught while out hunting today. It was kind of funny earlier, because when each boy brought her his offering, she praised them profusely for their hard work, no matter how scrawny or bloodied the game looked, and each boy reveled in her praise.

"Aw. Does Pan have a crush?" Curly teases again, leaning in and using a baby voice while batting his eyelashes and pursing his lips.

This time I actually shove him clean off the log we're sitting on. He lands on the ground practically roaring with laughter and I can't help but smirk slightly at his laughter.

He gets back up and repositions himself on the log, still slightly laughing. "I take it I guessed correctly then?"

I turn and glare at him at him before looking away again. I can tell that he caught the hint of a smile on my lips since he continues to chuckle, so I get up and move away from him, which only leads him to laugh more.

As I stroll around the camp, some of the boys come up to me asking if I would play my pipe tonight. I hadn't played since Cat got here and am so desperate for a distraction that I happily agree.

After everyone finishes eating, I call everyone's attention and tell them to get out their drums and other instruments. They cheer excitedly as they hurry about to get everything in place. I then go and situate myself on the log I usually occupy when I play. Once everyone else is ready, I begin.

The boys dance excitedly around the bonfire and at some point, are able to convince Cat to join in. She moves gracefully and once she starts dancing, it becomes hard for me to concentrate on my music.

I quickly close my eyes and turn my concentration to my pipe. It works for a while until I feel someone sit down next to me. I re-open my eyes and glance over to see who it is. It's Cat and she gives me a small smile when she catches my eye. She looks beautiful sitting there with the firelight dancing in her hair, her cheeks slightly flushed from the exercise, and I find that I can't tear my eyes away from her.

"You play beautifully," she comments quietly from where she sits.

I nod to her in thanks, hoping she gets how I can't stop playing to reply to her.

"They really enjoy this, don't they?" she asks.

I nod again and send her a look that I hope tells her that I am unable to converse with her at the moment. She seems to get the message and sheepishly says, "Oh! Sorry. Guess you really can't really talk right now can you?"

I roll my eyes and turn my attention back to the dancing group of boys. She sits silently next to me and after a while, leans in and places her head on my shoulder.

The action surprises me so much that I miss a note. She giggles and I grimace slightly at the effect she has on me, but don't push her away. She feels warm with her body pressed up against mine and I can't help but wonder what it would be like to fall asleep next to her. I nearly miss another note at the thought and firmly try to shake it from my mind. Where the heck did that come from?

I desperately want to push her away then, but when I look down at her, I see one of her rare, genuine smiles gracing her lips and just can't bring myself to do it.

So we sit there just like that, her head resting gently on my shoulder as I play, until eventually her breathing regulates in sleep. I can't help but smirk. Guess she trusts me more than I thought.

About an hour later, I stop playing and tell the boys to get to bed. I also ask them to be quiet so they won't wake up Cat, who is still sleeping peacefully beside me, and they all silently retreat into their tents for the night. I easily lift Cat into my arms and begin to carry her towards her and Curly's tent.

"I can take her if you want," Curly offers, but I shake him off.

"No, its alright. I got her," I say.

I see him smirk slightly as he opens the flap to their tent for me and I duck inside. I then gently place her on the palette Curly had made for her when she first got here. Before I get up however, I place a small kiss on her forehead and whisper, "Good night, Catherine."

I then stand up, nod to Curly, and exit their tent without another word.


	11. Chapter 11

_Catherine's POV_

I wake up the next morning with a start. I scan the area of the tent wildly in search of the source of the voice that I could have sworn whispered my name. When I see no one, I start to settle down. I take deep breaths to calm myself while knocking it off as nothing more than a dream, and turn to look at Ethan. He's still fast asleep. I'm not that surprised. The end of the world could commence and I seriously doubt that boy would even so much as stir. I can't help but smile at the thought.

I quietly sneak out of our tent, hoping to give him a little more time to sleep before Pan wakes everone. The whole camp is silent, all the boys still asleep in their tents. Even Pan isn't up and about as I expected he would be since he always wakes with the dawn. They must have stayed up later than I thought. I decide to go out and find something to cook for breakfast, so I take up my bow and quiver of arrows and silently leave camp.

The forest is quiet with only the sounds of small animals scurrying about and the occasional call of a lark. I take a deep breath and sigh as I feel the energy of the jungle humming around me. Through the quiet, the loud snap of a twig can be heard and I jump. I scan my surroundings and listen hard for any sign of what had made the noise. I wait patiently for a while with an arrow cocked at the ready, but nothing seems out of the ordinary so I continue my hunt.

I hear similar sounds throughout my excursion, but nothing ever presents itself. I shoot three squirrels and four rabbits before I feel I have enough to for everyone to eat. During my walk back to camp, I begin to hear footsteps following behind me. I halt in my tracks, but the steps continue to sound. I quickly turn around to face whoever is following me, arrow once again cocked at the ready.

I look around and call out, "If this is some kind of joke Peter, its not very funny."

"Oh, I'm not Peter, dear," a voice proclaims from behind me and causes my blood to run cold.

"Lance," I whisper, eyes widening ever so slightly.

"Good. So you remember me. Makes my job that much easier," he says materializing in front of me.

"But I thought..." I whisper, still having a hard time comprehending what's going on.

"Everyone did, dearie," he says smirking. He takes another step towards me, but I stand my ground.

"Brave little devil, aren't we? Nothing like the little brat who always ran to Pan whenever something scared her or didn't go her way," he chuckles taking another step forward.

I still refuse to budge and respond, "No, I'm not."

"Heard you left shortly after I did. What happened with that?"

"What's it to you?"

"Oh nothing. Just curious," he answers, shrugging.

"What do you want, Lance?" I ask, sneering at him.

"Its not really what I want. Its more like what Hook wants. He would like to have an audience with you, dearie," he explains.

"What makes him think I'll come willingly?" I ask.

"Well you see dearie, that's what I'm here for," he says.

Before I can react, he pulls out a rather large club and swings it in my direction. The last thing I remember is him saying, "Night, love."

And then everything goes black.

* * *

><p>I wake up and wince at the pain I feel in my head. Opening my eyes, I have a hard time focusing on anything and after a short moment I am forced to re-close them due to the bile building in the back of my throat. After finally getting control of my stomach, I reopen my eyes and focus on the ceiling above me. I then reach up and feel the beginnings of a lump forming where Lance had struck me with his club. I also feel something sticky and warm. I pull my hand back only to see that my fingers are now covered in my own blood. I try to sit up, but a wave dizziness overcomes me and I have to lie back down. After the nausea fades away again, I begin to take in my surroundings.<p>

I have been placed in a dark, dingy cell with only one window for light. Both the floor and walls are made of wood and, if I concentrate, I can almost feel the room swaying. Large, steel bars split the room in half, separating me from the door and I try to use my powers to teleport myself out of the cell. Unfortunatly, it feels as if something has placed a muffler over me, suppressing my magic so that I can still feel it inside me, but just can't use it.

After waiting for what feels like ages, the door at the opposite side of the room opens and two figures step into the room. One I recognize as Lance, but the other I'm not so sure of. He stays in the shadows and appears to be completely clothed in black leather. Then I see a something small and sharp shine from where the left hand should be and it gives the man's identity away.

"Hello Lance, James," I say.

"Hello Catherine, me dear," Hook says stepping from the shadows, a broad smirk on his face.

"Lance told me you wanted to see me, James," I say rather coldly, using every once of strength I have to sit up and face him.

"Yes, and he'd be correct about that," he replies, not giving anything away.

"Well, I'm here now so what do you want?" I ask sharply, sounding much stronger than II actually feel.

He laughs. "You see me dear, I've been hearing things as of late," he says, stepping closer to the bars on my cell.

"About what?"

"About the fact that you want to leave the island. And even though I find great satisfaction seeing you in your current state, I believe I have a plan that will be beneficial to both of us."

I remain silent, but he knows that he has my full attention now.

He grins devilishly. "You see, there is something I need you to find out for me if you want my help getting off the island."

"And what, pray tell, would that something be?" I ask, trying to sound indifferent but fail tremendously.

Lance answers, "He wants you to find out Pan's weakness."

"And what makes you think I'll be able to do that?" I ask.

"You're close enough to him that he's bound to open up to you. Besides, you were, how should I say it, together once, were you not?" Hook inquires edging even closer, hand now gripping the iron bars.

"Yes, but that was a long time ago. And besides, he doesn't remember me from then anyway. I wiped his memory of me, so as of right now, he doesn't exactly trust me," I say bitterly.

"Those are only minor difficulties really. It should be fairly easy for you to get close to him again shouldn't it?" he asks.

I look at Lance who leans silently against the wall. "And why should I help you?" I ask, turning my attention back to Hook.

"Because my dear, I will give you the one thing you crave most in this world," he pauses a moment and continues. "Your ticket back to the Real World."

"And how exactly are you planning to achieve that?" I ask scoff. "No one can leave Neverland unless they have pixie dust to fly or have one of the keys that unlock the Portal Between Worlds. And I don't believe that you have either of those things."

"Oh but thankfully for you, me dear, I do," he says and chooses that time to bring forth a small box. I realize, however, that its not a box but in fact, a cage, and inside that cage floats a tiny ball of light. As Hook brings it closer, the small light takes the shape of a tiny person with wings. I catch my breath. A fairy.

"How?" I ask dumbfounded.

"All I had to do was flatter her until she got close enough to catch. Fairies are quite vain you know. It was a piece of cake really," Lance explains smirking.

"Now, you have your ticket home. You won't get it until after you finish my little task, but you have your proof that you will be able to get home. Do we have a deal?" Hook asks offering his good hand out for me to shake.

I look at the fairy and see her frightened features. What horrors he has put her through I frankly don't want to know. I really want to return to the Real World but if I betray Peter, I will also be betraying the boys and I can't bear the thought of that.

After much thought, I give him my answer. "No," I say, turning my face away from Hook.

His mouth curls into a snarl. "Fine then. Have it your way. Just know that you won't be leaving your little sanctuary in here for a long while."

"Fine. Its not like I have anything to do outside here anyway," I reply nonchalantly.

He huffs loudly and storms from the room, slamming the door in his wake.

"You shouldn't have done that," Lance says.

"And why not? Its not like he can do anything worse to me. He needs me for information or as bait for Pan so he won't kill me," I say glowering at him.

"He may not hurt you, but that doesn't mean he won't go after your precious Lost Boys," Lance says and turns to leave. His explanation is like a blow to the stomach.

"What have I done?" I whisper.

"I'm not going to answer that. Luckily for you, you have plenty of time now to think about it and answer it for yourself," he says, and with that he exits the room as well.

After the door closes behind Lance, I curl up into a ball, absolutely helpless to stop whatever it is Hook plans to do to get back at me for turning his offer down.

* * *

><p>Lance visits me often throughout the day, bringing me water and food and bandages for my head wound. He is quiet most of the time and I'm okay with that. He's one of the last people I want to talk to right now.<p>

I mostly just sit staring at the ceiling and contemplating things. Nothing really in particular. Just about my life in the Real World, the Lost Boys, Ethan, Hook's offer, Lance.

Peter.

I close my eyes as tears begin to prick them. I hated having to leave and I regretted it every day after I had left, but it couldn't be helped. At the time, I had thought that Pan was becoming a monster. Now seeing Lance alive and perfectly well, I begin to wonder if I was wrong to leave in the first place.

How is Lance still alive anyway?

When he returns to see me again, I ask him.

"Why do you want to know?" he asks.

"No reason. Just curious," I reply, mocking his statement from earlier.

He smirks at my answer and says, "Hook suggested that I should replace my real heart with the heart of a pig and keep my actual heart in a safe place. We knew that Pan was on to me as a traitor, but when I 'attacked' you, as Pan so graciously put it, that was the last straw for him. So when he yanked out my heart I let him believe that it was mine when-"

"-it was actually the pig's heart that he was draining," I finish for him.

"Yes. I then pretended to die and he gave me no other thought. That is, until you approached him about the incident later," he says and I grimace at the memory.

"Since you got to ask me a question I now get to ask you one," he says after a long pause.

"Fair enough," I say, after a long pause.

"Why did you leave after you thought Pan killed me?" he asks, an emotion I can't place flickering in his eye.

I take a sharp breath and look away from Lance.

"Its alright if you don't want to answer. Just curious," he says flashing me a small grin.

"No. Its alright. You of all people deserve to know the truth behind my actions," I say facing him again. I take a deep breath and tell him about how Pan and I had exchanged words over the situation and how he had struck me. When I mention that part, Lance appears as if he's about to explode.

"It's ok though," I reassure. "I knew after that incident that I had to leave, so me and Ethan set out on our own. I erased everyone else's minds so they wouldn't notice us missing and come searching for us," I finish.

"And now Ethan is Pan's right hand?" Lance asks, a dark undertone to his voice that causes a shiver to run down my spine.

"Yes, but Pan's better now. He's not as harsh as he was before I left," I state defensively.

"Oh and that makes it all better doesn't it?" Lance says angrily.

I sigh and look to the ceiling, but don't say anything more. I'm in no mood to fight with Lance over the issue so I settle with a hard stare in his direction.

He gets the message and turns to leave. After a moment, I call him back. "Can I ask you one more question?" I ask.

"You just did, dearie," he says smirking, anger now gone, and I roll my eyes.

"Why did you come after me? You know, that time in the woods. It almost looked as if you wanted to kiss me."

He looks surprised at my statement and asks, "Do you really not know?"

I silently shake my head, confused.

"I did want to kiss you. I wanted to because I loved you, and believe it or not Catherine, I still do," he answers then quickly turns and exits the room leaving me to stare after him, mouth agape and entirely speechless.


	12. Chapter 12

_Peter's POV_

Cat has been missing for three days now and there is still no sign of her anywhere. I'm beginning to worry that she found a way off the island. I share my suspicions with Curly, but he's quick to assure me, "Pan, you know better than anyone that no one can leave Neverland without you knowing it and you haven't felt anyone leave so that means she still has to be here somewhere."

I sigh. "Your right, Curly. I just hate not knowing things!"

"I know, sir. You've voiced that opinion several times during the past five minutes," he says smirking, but after catching my glare, he quickly continues on with, "But don't worry. We'll find her."

"Hey Pan, why don't you track her by her aura like you do with us? Maybe then you'll be able to find her," Davis speaks up from where he stands a few paces behind Curly and me.

I turn to face him. "Don't you think I've tried that?" I snap. His eyes grow large as he takes a step back, arms raised slightly in a small surrender.

"Sorry, sir. Just a suggestion," he replies a bit defensively and I can feel my anger beginning mount higher.

Before I have a chance to let loose my anger, Curly grips my arm tightly and forces me to look at him. "Hey, chill. No need to take out any of your men. We're gonna need him later," he says calmly. "Why don't you try again?" he suggests after not receiving any kind of retort from me.

"Alright," I reply grudgingly, jerking my arm from his grasp. I close my eyes to help block out everything else that is going on around me, only focusing on her. Her hair, her eyes, her smile, her laugh, her magic. Anything that could allow me to locate her aura.

Its then that I feel it. Its weak, but its there. It feels as though she's somewhere in Buccaneer Bay, and its then that I realize that Hook has her.

My blood begins to boil again. How dare he kidnap her? And then further resort to torturing her to the point where even I can barely even pick up on her aura?

Curly obviously feels how I've gone rigid and places a comforting hand on my shoulder. I immediately begin to calm down.

"You okay?" he asks quietly.

"Yes," I respond, opening my eyes. "I found her."

"Well, where is she?" he asks eagerly.

"Buccaneer Bay."

"Wait, but that means..."

"Yes. Hook has her," I finish.

Curly quickly turns to Davis. "Round up all the boys and tell them to meet us back at camp! Tell them its urgent!"

"Yes, sir!" Davis replies, and hurries off into the forest to search for the other Lost Boys.

Once I'm sure that Davis is out of earshot, I say, "He's broken the rules, Curly. And you know what that means?"

Curly only responds with a nod, but I continue on as if he had said otherwise, "Punishment."

"So, what's our course of action, Pan?" Curly asks after allowing my last statement to hang heavy in the air for a moment.

"What else? We attack them," I reply.

"When?"

"Tonight."

"Is there anything else you want me to tell the boys?" he asks.

"Tell them to bring their air bubbles. We'll be walking the whole way," I say with a smirk.

"Yes, sir," he replies with a similar facial expression. He then turns and dashes off in the direction of camp.

I chuckle to myself. Hook is in for a big surprise.

"I wouldn't get too confident if I were you, mate," I voice calls down from the tree tops.

My good mood vanishes instantly. I know that voice and frankly, I'm surprised that I'm hearing it again. I could have sworn I killed him, though I'm having a difficult time remembering the reason why. He probably deserved it, whatever it was that he'd said or done that caused me to become that ticked.

"Come on out, Lance," I shout, trying to mask my feeling of surprise, and he immediately drops to the ground.

"Good. You remember me. Kind of surprised actually. I was beginning to think that you had forgotten your former right hand," he says smirking at me.

"Well scum like you deserve to be forgotten, don't you think?" I retort coldly.

"Ouch. I do believe you've cut me to the core, old friend," he says, clutching his heart as his face contorts onto a false look of pain.

"Firstly, I don't care. Secondly, I'm not your friend. And thirdly, why are you here, Lance? What do you want?" I ask.

"Well, let's see. Oh! I remember! I'm supposed to tell you that the attack you are planning against Hook, would only seal your little Cat's fate," he replies evasively.

"What do you mean by that? What have you done to her?" I growl, failing to suppress the slight panic in my voice.

He smirks at this and before saying, "Oh, I haven't done anything to her. And neither has Hook. At least, not yet."

"What is that supposed to mean?" I ask, my anger continuing to rise.

"Well you see Pan, your little Cat has already upset the good captain. He had asked her to complete a small task for him, but she refused to do it. And every day he comes to her to try and persuade her to help him and she refuses. So he has started to deny her food and only giving her enough water to survive. That's why her aura is so weak," he explains. "So if you do attack, Hook will more than likely just slit her pretty little throat before you can get to her."

I can feel my fists clench at my sides. "I thought you said Hook hadn't done anything to her."

"I did, and when you really think about it, you'll realize that I really wasn't lying. You see, he hasn't beat her, stabbed her, shot her, tortured her, touched her, fed her. He hasn't done anything to her besides give her water to drink so, in all honesty, he's been quite kind to her because you know how much worse off she could be."

"You traitor!" I yell and blast him with my magic. He laughs, dodging the attack easily.

"Is that the best that you can do?" he taunts.

"You wish," I reply and take another shot at him.

Pretty soon, we are engaged in a back and forth battle, neither of us actually gaining any ground.

"I forgot how skilled you were in magic," I say giving him some credit because most people who challenge me to these kinds of duels don't last this long.

"Well, I did learn from the best," he says slightly sarcastically.

After a while, he begins to tire and I am able to overcome him. I slam his body up against the nearest tree. He winces on impact and his pain brings a smile to my face.

"I want you to go back to your little boat and tell your captain that I'm coming for him. After all, he has broken my rules, you know, by coming onto my island and taking my property. Oh, and don't forget to mention the one tiny detail he always seems to forget," I explain slowly and clearly so that Lance will understand every word I say to him. "Pan never fails."

He nods silently, his face filled with resentment but I couldn't care less what he thinks of me. When I release him, he immediately disappears leaving me slightly drained, but strangely satisfied.

I stare for a short while at the spot Lance had occupied before quickly turning on my heel and stalking back to camp to ready my men for the impending battle.


	13. Chapter 13

_Catherine's POV_

The pain in my stomach continues to worsen as I lie unmoving on the floor. It hurts to move and over the past few hours I have started to fade in and out of consciousness. I suspect that since I angered Hook, he has decided to punish me by starving me.

And he's doing a pretty good job of it.

Lance hasn't been to see me since our last conversation. In his place, a portly older man by the name of Smee has been coming to bring me water. He's a kind little man; a bit ding-y at times but otherwise very sweet. He talks to me every time he comes and always promises to try and sneak some extra water or some food scraps. He has succeeded only twice, and both times I have noticed that he didn't get away with it unscathed. Each day my condition has worsened, and each day Mr. Smee has been bending the rules a little by entering my cell and helping me drink the water ration he brings.

"Come on, sweet heart. Ya need ta drink this. Ya gotta keep your strength up best ya can," he encourages every time he comes to help me.

I sigh and wince at the pain I feel when I move. The boys surely must have realized by now that I'm missing. I just wish they would hurry up and get here already. At this point, I probably wouldn't even mind if Pan was the one to carry me out of here.

I feel a pang when I think this. I actually miss him. More than I would like to admit. I actually kind of wish he was here now.

As I'm lost in my thoughts, I don't notice when Mr. Smee enters my cell or when he lifts the small cup of water he brought to my lips.

When I have a hard time swallowing and the water just trickles down my chin and away from my mouth, Mr. Smee says what he usually does. "Come on, sweet heart. Ya need ta drink this. Ya gotta keep your strength up best ya can."

I nod weakly and do my best to get the water to go down my dry throat. When I still struggle getting the water down, he stands and says, "Oh dear. I better go tell Cap'an that you can' even drink any water."

He then hurries from the room. When he returns, he's huffing along behind a very angry Captain Hook. "What's this I'm hearing about you not being able to drink the water that I have so graciously decided to grant you?" he asks angrily.

I try to speak, but my throat is so dry that I can barely say a thing. "How do you expect me to drink anything if I don't even have the strength to lift my head due to lack of food?" I whisper.

"Well unfortunately for you dearie, you won't be gettin' anything to eat until you agree to my terms," he says.

"Never."

"Have it your way then," he says and then turns to Mr. Smee. "I don't want you to come to me about her condition any more, do I make myself clear Mr. Smee?"

"But Cap'an..."

"Mr. Smee," he snaps, glaring hard at the poor, blithering man.

"Yes, Cap'an," Mr. Smee concedes.

Hook nods approvingly and then leaves the little room without another word.

"Oh dear," Mr. Smee exclaims for the second time before I once again fall into unconsciousness.

* * *

><p>I feel myself being shaken. I have no idea by who, just that I am being shaken. The hands on my shoulders are gentle but firm in a desperate attempt to wake me up. But the thing is, I don't want to wake up I just want to sleep. I'm just so tired and I try to tell whoever is shaking me this, but they refuse to relent.<p>

After a while the shaking stops and I'm relieved.

"I'm sorry Cat, but its for your own good," I hear a distant voice says right before something ice cold drenches my entire body.

I gasp and my eyes pop open. Looming above me is a tall, thin figure who's face is indistinguishable in the dark.

"Oh thank goodness, your awake," the figure says and then kneels down before me. As his face gets closer, I am able to recognize who it is.

"Peter?" I whisper.

He smiles. "Yes love, its me," he says gently stroking my cheek.

"Peter," I say again, relieved. I smile weakly up at him while shakily lifting my hand to cover his. He then proceeds to examine me from head to foot. His smile fades as he sees how frail and weak I've become.

"Don't worry love. I'm going to get you out of here," he assures me.

"I know you will," I whisper hoarsely.

He then gracefully lifts me into his arms and carries me out of the room. I lay my head against his chest and close my eyes.

"You can't sleep yet, love," he whispers to me.

"But I'm so tired," I protest.

"I know, darling, I know. But you have to stay awake for me, alright?"

"Okay. I'll try."

Peter then proceeds to carry me onto the deck where the sounds of battle can be heard. The noise is so loud that I wince at the pain in my head.

"Catey!" I hear a familiar voice cry and I feel a hand grasp mine.

"Ethan," I say, once again relieved to see someone I know and care about.

"Take her, please," Peter says placing me in Ethan's arms. "I'm going to find Hook."

"Wait, Peter," I say, but he's already moving away from me in the direction of the helm where Hook can be seen taking on Davis and Richard, a newcomer that arrived shortly before I was captured.

I squirm in Ethan's arms, desperately trying to get back to Peter.

"Whoa there, Catey. Its alright," he attempts to comfort me, but I continue to wriggle out of his grasp.

The effort begins to tire me so I stop, but keep my eyes glued to Peter as he makes his way over to Hook.

"Hook! You're going to pay for what you did to Catherine!" Peter says.

"Oh am I, boy?" Hook asks skeptically.

Peter sneers at him, but says nothing. Instead, he lunges at Hook with his dagger. They quickly become engaged in a deadly sword fight, one that could potentially take a turn for the worse.

I can't stand the thought of Peter killing someone let alone the possibility of him getting seriously injured, so I muster all the remaining energy I have and scream, "Peter!"

Ethan quickly tries to clamp a hand over my mouth, but its too late. Peter hears my cry and quickly spins in our direction. Hook takes a jab at Pan while his back is turned.

"Pan, watch out!" Ethan yells, but I see his alert comes a little too late.

Pan turns back to face Hook again, but he's not quick enough. Hook succeeds in slicing Peter's arm and I see him wince at the pain. Anger anew, Pan then moves swiftly and surely, eventually catching Hook off guard and blasting him with a knock out spell. Peter then hurries back to where he left Ethan and me.

"Are you okay?" he asks me worriedly.

"Yes. I'm alright," I whisper. "But your hurt."

"Don't worry, love. Its just a scratch," he assures me. He then takes me from Ethan and tells him, "Round up the boys and tell them to head back to camp. We've got what we came for," he says looking down at me. I smile meekly up at him and he smirks down at me.

"Come on then, you trouble maker," he says and I giggle.

"Hey," I retort softly and Peter then transports us back to camp.

He enters his tent still carrying me in his arms and gently lays me down on the bed.

"Wait here. I'll be right back," he says softly squeezing my hand.

"I can't exactly go any where, you know that right?" I ask him and he smiles.

"Whatever," he says rolling his eyes.

Pan exits the tent and is gone for only about a minute before returning with something in his hand. He lowers himself onto the bed next to me and wraps his arm around me again. I curl into his embrace as he holds something out to me.

"Here's some bread. I heard that Hook hadn't been feeding you. Eat it slowly. Don't want you eating too fast and getting sick," he warns.

"Okay," I whisper and eagerly take the bread from him.

By the time I finish eating, the Lost Boys have returned and each has taken their turn coming in to see me. I do my best to look fine in front of them, but after they all leave, the events over the past couple of days begin to show through and I am feeling completely and utterly exhausted.

Peter stood by my side the entire time, almost as if he was scared someone would break in and try to take me away again, but strangely, I don't mind. I like having him close by. It makes me feel safer.

After everyone leaves, Peter climbs back into the bed next to me. I snuggle up against him and he sighs.

"Finally warming up to me, are you, love?" he asks chuckling.

I nudge him softly, which only serves to cause him to chuckle more.

"You did so good, you know," he whispers.

"I didn't do anything," I reply tiredly.

"Yes you did. You stayed strong for the boys. And you saved me from doing something really stupid," he murmurs quietly into my hair. His breath feels warm and comforting and I sigh with contentment.

"It was nothing," I reply quietly, too tired to ask what stupid thing it was that I prevented him from doing.

"No," he counters. "It was a very big something."

I look up into his face and give him a small smile. He returns my smile and continues to hold me tight.

It doesn't take long for his warmth to completely engulf me and I fall into a deep slumber, wrapped in Peter's embrace.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Hey guys! So sorry that it has taken me so long for me to get this chapter up! Life has been so hectic recently and I literally just found time to write. To make it up to y'all, I am posting AT LEAST 3 consecutive chapters all of which are dedicated to my wonderful readers who have been so graciously patient with me. Thanks so much and I love you all! :D<em>**


	14. Chapter 14

_Peter's POV_

The next morning, I wake up to feel an unfamiliar warmth beside me. I turn my head to see what the cause is and I find Catherine curled up next to me. The events of the previous day come flooding back to me and I chuckle.

Yes, I'd say she's warmed up to me.

I watch her silently as she sleeps. Her face looks so peaceful as she dreams of who knows what. Her chest softly rises and falls as she breaths and her dark hair is splayed across the pillow. Her left hand is lying delicately on my chest and I smile. She's looks so beautiful when she sleeps that I can't help myself. I slowly lean towards her face with every intention of placing a kiss on her soft red lips.

Just as I'm about an inch from her face, her eyes flutter open. She yawns and when she sees me hovering over her, she smiles.

"Good morning, Peter," she whispers shyly.

My breath catches and I can barely get the words out. "Mornin' love," I rasp and she giggles.

It's such a sweet sound, almost like the soft tinkling of bells. I lean in once more, but her hand on my chest stops me. I look into her eyes and see that they've grown wider. I catch a small flicker of nervousness within.

"No," is all she says to me.

"Why?" I ask quietly. "It's just a kiss."

After a long agonizing wait, she finally replies, "Because I don't want to hurt you." Tears have gathered in her eyes and I quickly pull her to my chest.

"Don't worry, love. You could never hurt me," I whisper to her while stroking her hair soothingly.

"But that's where your wrong, Peter," she says, shaking slightly.

"Cat, listen to me," I say pulling back far enough to be able to look her in the eyes. "You could never hurt me more than you are right now."

"I'm sorry," she says looking at me, the pain prevalent in her eyes.

I can't stand seeing her like this, so with a sigh, I say, "Alright, I'll wait how ever long I need to for you."

Relief fills her features and I pull her back into a tight embrace. "I'm sorry, Catherine. I promise not to push you anymore."

"Thank you," she murmurs quietly into my ear.

"Anything for you, love," I whisper to her.

* * *

><p>That night, Catherine comes into my tent with me again. I'm glad to have her here with me so that I can keep an eye on her. I watch her silently while she slowly brushes her hair. Yes, I could get used to having a girl like her around.<p>

She sees me watching her and flashes me a beautiful smile that lights up her entire face. I grin back and walk over to sit beside her.

"So, how is our very first Lost Girl doing this evening?" I ask wrapping my arms around her.

She stiffens when I finish my question and her smile fades away.

"What's wrong, love? Don't you want to be a Lost Girl?" I ask her worriedly.

"Oh no. It's not that, Peter," she says turning away from me.

"Then what is it?" I ask, gently taking hold of her chin and having her face towards me.

She sighs. "It's nothing, Peter. I'm just worrying over nothing," she says plastering a fake smile on her face that I see right through. Before I ask her to tell me what is actually bothering her, I remember the promise I made that morning about not pushing her and remain silent.

She then wriggles out of my arms and goes to sit on the bed instead. I follow, but don't touch her this time. I just sit next to her and peer into her face. Something about what I said to her made her upset and I wish I knew what it was so that I could fix it and make her smile again.

She refuses to look me in the eye. I can't stand seeing her like this, so without even giving any thought to the action, I cup her check softly and, bringing her face towards mine, I place my lips gently against hers.

At first she stiffens and pushes her hands against my chest in an attempt to distance herself from me. But as the kiss deepens, she slowly begins to relax and wraps her arms around my neck, pulling me close.

Our kiss is so soft and so sweet that I lose myself in the moment. The only thing that matters in this world is her and us and this kiss. Her fingers curl themselves into my hair and I hear her sigh in contentment. I chuckle softly as she tries to pull me even closer.

Then as quickly as my happiness came, it disappears. In its place flood memories of scenes similar to this one, her wrapped in my arms, her sweet lips trying to get a taste of mine, my hand caressing her hip. There are also memories of her and I dashing through the forest, chasing after some small creature, her laughter ringing through the air. And others where she sits among the Lost Boys as she tells them a bed time story. Another memory depicts the time I first asked her to become the very first Lost Girl. The way she smiled and how my heart soared when she accepted my offer and I knew for certain that she would never leave me.

The final and probably the worst of all the memories comes to me like a punch to the stomach.

_Lance looms over Catherine's cringing form where she is trapped against a tree. He keep leaning closer and closer to her face, whispering something to her. She squeezes her eyes shut. I lunge forward and jerk Lance's form away from her and I see her body sink to the ground in relief. _

_"What the heck are you doing, Lance?" I yell at him. _

_His face pales considerably and he takes a step back. _

_"Nevermind. I'll deal with you later," I growl and shove him away. He quickly hurries off, presumably back to camp. _

_I turn back to face Catherine and reach my arms out to her. She quickly dives into my embrace and I ask her worriedly, "Are you alright? Did he touch you?"_

_"No, Peter. I'm alright," she replies._

_"Good. I couldn't bear the thought of anyone hurting you. Now, I need to go teach Lance a lesson about keeping one's hands to one's self," I growl._

_"Peter, you never keep your hands to yourself," she teases me._

_"That doesn't count, though. You're my girl not his," I say giving her neck a playful bite._

_She sighs softly and gently pushes me back far enough to be able to look into my eyes. "Please, Peter, be serious. I want you to promise not to hurt him. He didn't mean any harm," she whispers to me._

_I sigh. "Alright, love. I won't hurt him."_

_"Promise?"_

_"Yes, I promise," I say and then kiss her lightly on the lips. _

_"Thank you," she says after we separate. _

The memory then fast forwards to when I confronted Lance about what he had done.

_"You know Lance, you really shouldn't touch things that aren't yours," I say to him, while casually leaning against a tree nearby._

_"I know, Pan, and I'm sorry. It won't happen again. I promise," he says assertively, yet still apologetic. _

_"You better not, or I swear I will make sure you never see the light of another day," I threaten darkly. I then calmly turn and walk in the direction of camp._

_"Whoa, wait. You mean, your not gonna punish me?" he asks and I stop. _

_"I normally would and trust me, if Catherine didn't ask for me to show you some mercy, you'd probably be in pretty bad shape right now," I say. _

_"Wow," he says._

_"Wow what?" I ask turning back around slightly so I can see his face._

_"Wow. The Great Peter Pan has grown soft," he says tauntingly._

_That comment brings my anger back full force and without thinking I lunge toward him and rip out his heart. The fear becomes prevalent on his face and I smirk. _

_"You really have a death wish, don't you? Well, consider your wish granted," I say just before I drain his heart of all the life it held. Lance's body then sinks limply to the ground, never to move again. I smile with satisfaction and lightly kick his lifeless body. _

_"That's what happens when you cross Peter Pan," I say coldly._

The next thing I see is Catherine and me arguing.

_"Why did you kill him? You promised me you wouldn't hurt him!" Catherine cries and the sound of her yell only serves to anger me further._

_"What did you expect me to do? He tried to hurt you, Catherine! He got what he deserved," I yell at her._

_"No. He wasn't trying to hurt me!" she screams in his defense._

_"Why are you trying to defend him now? He's dead so why does it matter?"_

_"It matters because you might have just killed and innocent!"_

_"I did it to protect you!" _

_"That's stupid justification for your actions."_

_"You were cringing! What was I supposed to do?"_

_"I don't know but you still shouldn't kill someone just because they cause you lose you temper!"_

_Her ability to accurately counter every one of my arguments causes my anger to boil over and before I know what I'm doing, I raise my hand and strike her across the cheek. _

_She gasps in pain and I immediately try to take back what I did. "Catherine, I-"_

_"Save it!" she cries, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I wish I had never come to Neverland! I wish I had never met you!" she screams and then runs back to camp, leaving me alone completely consumed in guilt. _

_"I'm sorry," I whisper to no one as I sink to the ground and burry my face in my hands. "What have I done?"_

When the memories finally stop bombarding me, I take a deep breath and see that I've shoved Catherine away from me.

"Peter, let me explain," she says reaching out to me.

"No. Just don't say anything," I say and stand.

She does as I order and remains silent, waiting patiently for me to ask my first question.

After a long pause, I finally ask, "How did I forget?"

She sighs. "I placed an Eraser Curse on you and the rest of the boys so that you wouldn't be able to remember Ethan and me when we left. That way you wouldn't come after us because you wouldn't know that we ever existed."

"So Ethan went with you?"

"Yes, he did. He just didn't come with me when I left for the Real World."

"Why didn't he go with you?"

"I'm not sure. You'd have to ask him yourself."

"And what about your magic? Since you are able to perform an Eraser Curse, you are obviously more well-versed in magic than you were first letting on. You know, when I brought you back here over a week ago."

"You'd be correct, Peter."

"So what you said about your mom, that day you thanked me for teaching you magic, was a lie?"

"No, that wasn't a lie. My mother never did take the time to teach me about magic. I lied about my knowledge in magic because I didn't want you to get suspicious of me."

"Well if your mother didn't teach you then that must mean that I did the last time you were here, right?"

"Correct," she answers.

After another long silence, I finally get up the nerve to ask her the question that has been bugging me since the very beginning. "How was the curse broken? I know you probably didn't do it willingly because you would have done that earlier if that was the case."

She looks guiltily to the floor. "You'd be correct again, Peter," she says barely audibly. "The curse was lifted because of true love's kiss."

"True love's kiss can break any spell, no matter how powerful," I recite from memory.

"Yes," she says, voice tight.

I sigh and look away from her.

"I'm so sorry, Peter," she whispers. "I know that I should have told you earlier, but I was afraid."

I turn back to look at her and see tears streaming down her face. I sit down next to her and pull her back into my arms. She grips me tightly for strength and continues. "You have no idea how hard it was for me to leave you last time."

"No, I don't," I confirm. "Because I couldn't remember. Not even if I had wanted to."

She shakes slightly in my arms and grips me even tighter.

"I love you, Catherine," I whisper into her ear.

The shaking stops and her head snaps up to look at me. "You what?"

"I love you, Catherine," I repeat. "Unfortunately, that just makes what I have to tell you so much harder to say."

The light that had shown brightly in her eyes only moments before has disappeared. "You have to leave," I say.

"What?" she asks, confused.

"You have to leave," I repeat slower.

"W-why?" she stammers.

"You really don't expect me to keep you around if there is a possibility of you running off with my memories again, do you?" I ask, harsher than I intend.

"But I-"

"Just go," I interrupt her. I then release her and stand, turning my back to her.

"Fine then. I thought that you would have been more forgiving than that, but I guess I was right to be afraid of telling you the truth," she snaps, but the small trace of hurt in her voice betrays her confidence.

I then hear her walk to the tent's opening, but just before leaving she says sternly, "Now I know that I was right to leave the first time. I just wish that I'd been that smart this time around. I was a fool to think you'd ever change. You'll always be a heartless monster and I'm glad to be rid of you."

And then she's gone.

After I'm sure that she isn't coming back, I walk over to my bed and silently sit down. And for the first time in a very long time, I bury my face in my hands and my shoulders slump in defeat.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Second chapter of the 3 I promised. :D<em>**


	15. Chapter 15

_Catherine's POV_

It has been exactly eight days since Pan forced me to leave the camp. In the days following my banishment, I have become close to some of the other creatures, both magical and otherwise, that inhabit Neverland, including the island natives, the fairies, and the mermaids.

I've learned that everyone across the board dislikes Pan and, after learning of my connection to him, were a bit wary of me at first. When I told them of how Pan himself had severed all ties to me because of our complicated history and how I had no intention of ever returning to him and the Lost Boys, they seemed to trust me a bit more and have been much friendlier to me over the past few days.

My first encounter with the natives happened the day after my banishment and was a complete accident. It was that day that I met the famed Princess Tiger Lily. We had coincidentally been stalking the same wild pig and were both patiently waiting for the opportune moment to strike. I had taken the first shot, but had only succeeded in wounding the little beast. Just before I could cock another arrow into position to deliver the killing blow, she went ahead and put it out of its misery with a clean shot through the eye. She had then quickly dropped to the ground from a nearby tree, grabbed the dead animal, and took off with it into the jungle.

Of course I wasn't going to let her get away with the prize considering I was the one who wounded it enough for her to easily take it down. If anything, we should split the kill. I took off after her and, after much searching with no success, locked onto her aura and transported myself to where ever she was, which just so happened to be right outside her encampment.

"You really shouldn't take things that don't belong to you, dearie," I said.

She jumped and whirled around to face me, brandishing her knife in my direction. "What do you mean? I killed the beast. It is rightfully mine," she countered, sneering at me.

"Well, you see, that's not entirely true," I explained, disappearing and reappearing directly behind her.

She jumped again when she heard me say, "I took the shot that weakened it enough for you to take it down. Without my help, you probably wouldn't have even caught the wretched little thing. So it was really a team effort, when you think about it."

She sneered, but remained silent.

"Come on, dear, half that pig is mine. I have to eat too you know," I said impatiently.

"You are Pan's girl, Catherine, correct?" she asked me.

"Yes, I was. But not anymore," I replied, trying hard to keep the pain from my voice.

She looks at me skeptically. "How do I know you are not lying?" she asked.

"If you give me my share of the pig, I'll tell you everything," I offer.

Still looking at me suspiciously, Tiger Lily takes her dagger and deftly slices the pig into two equal parts. She tosses me my half and said, "Alright, I have given you what I promised. Now talk."

I then go on to tell her everything that happened between me and Peter. I don't know why I told her as much as I did. Maybe it was because I had bottled up my feelings for so long that when I was finally able to share them with someone, it all just came out, like someone opening the floodgates to a river. Or maybe it was the fact that I found Tiger Lily easy to talk to. Well, no matter the reason, every little detail came out, from something as important as Lance's almost-kiss to something as insignificant as the look of pain in Peter's eyes when all his memories returned. By the time I had finished, I had never felt more relieved to have told anyone anything than in that moment.

She stayed quiet long after I had finished my tale, and for a second there I was worried that she might call on her other Indian friends to come out and kill me. When she did finally speak, I was completely shocked to hear her say, "Would you like to stay here tonight?"

I could feel my eyes grow wide at her proposal and she had laughed at my reaction.

"Do not seem so surprised. You have been through so much already. The least I could do is offer you a place to stay tonight. Especially if it means sheltering one of Pan's rejects," she said smirking at me.

The way she had called me one of Pan's rejects had hurt more than I'd care to admit, but I knew that we were on the same side now and that she could be trusted. I accepted the offer and she told me that I would be staying in her family's teepee with them. I tried to refuse, saying that I would be perfectly comfortable on a palette next to the fire, but she ignored all of my protests, saying, "It is only fitting, considering you are the guest of honor."

I eventually give in to her demands, and she leads me into camp to meet her father, Chief Great Big Little Panther. Similar to his daughter, the chief seemed a bit wary of me at first, but after Tiger Lily related my story to him, he, along with the rest of the tribe, welcomed me with open arms.

He even decided to celebrate my arrival with what they called a powwow. There was music and dancing unlike anything I've ever witnessed. We must have danced nearly the entire night because by the time we finished, it was nearly dawn.

Thankfully Tiger Lily was gracious enough to let me sleep in a little later to recover from the festivities the night before, and after eating a nice breakfast with her family, I was on my way.

I have seen Tiger Lily often since then. She comes and visits me at my little campsite whenever she can and we've gone on a couple of hunting trips together, so I think its pretty safe to say that she is my closest friend. She has invited me to come and stay at the encampment again a couple of times. I have declined her offers, but she still keeps the option open to me by saying to show up whenever I want. Apparently her father enjoyed my company and says that I'm welcome any time.

My encounters with the other creatures were a little less heart-warming. The fairies weren't mean but neither were they welcoming. Most of them took one look at me and turned up their noses, so I try to avoid them as much as possible. They don't bother me and I don't bother them. End of story.

The mermaids were a bit kinder. They despise Pan as much as the next creature, but they took an oath to remain neutral when it comes to things involving him. They were nice enough to place a protection spell on me, however, and since mermaid magic is nearly ten times stronger than any mortal's magic, I was grateful for their help. I try to visit them as often as I can because they really are kind creatures. I just have to be careful around them because they have a craving for human blood and after a while, they tend to grow restless and attempt to drown me.

My favorite mermaid would probably be Celeste. She always listens to what I have to say and is the most patient mermaid out of all of them. I could sit and talk to her for hours on end if I didn't have to worry about her potentially craving a snack. I also enjoy all the stories she tells me about her life in the Kingdom of Oceana. I've learned that her mother's name is Queen Cora and that Celeste has two younger sisters, Marina and Pearl. They are twins and I've only met them once, but I will admit, they are a pair of trouble makers. I have never met Celeste's mother, but according to the other mermaids I've met, she's one of the kindest and most just rulers in all the realms.

Today, I decide to pay Celeste a visit so I head over to Mermaid Lagoon. When I get there, I call out, "Celeste! Celeste!"

No one answers, so I try again. "Celeste! Marina! Pearl!"

When still no one answers, I begin to grow worried. The only reason the mermaids wouldn't come when I call would be because either something has gone wrong in Oceana and they are needed or there is someone or something up here that would threaten their safety.

My suspicions are confirmed when a voice sounds from behind me. "Well, well, well, look who it is. Never thought I'd see you fraternizing with the merpeople. What's up with that?"

The voice causes my blood to run cold and I slowly turn to face the voice's owner. There, leaning calmly against a tree is Lance, with his ever present smirk on his face.

"What do you want, Lance?" I ask coldly.

"What do you think, dearie?" he replies raising his eyebrows.

"Hook wants me again, doesn't he?" I ask.

"No. I came here on my own accord this time," he replies smoothly.

"Then what is it you want?" I ask again.

He doesn't answer. He just removes himself from the tree's side and strides slowly over to stand in front of me. I stand my ground, refusing to let him have the upper hand.

"Heard you and Pan had a little argument," he says.

"Yeah. What else is new?" I snap, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Oh, Catherine, you really have no idea do you?" he asks getting even closer.

"No idea about what?" I whisper.

He chuckles. "How appealing both your feistiness and your vulnerability make you," he says quietly. He then leans in and lifts my chin gently.

Before I realize what I'm doing, my eyes close and I feel his lips on mine. His hands move around my waist and pull me closer. My arms then snake their way around his neck in my own desperate attempt to bring him nearer.

This kiss is nothing like the one I shared with Peter only a week ago. While Pan's was gentle and sweet, Lance's is rough and hungry. I give out a small sigh and he moans with contentment. He then roughly pushes me up against a nearby tree and starts tugging at the hem of my shirt.

Suddenly, I feel Lance get ripped away from me and my eyes snap open. My eyes grow wide at the sight before me. Lance has been thrown to the ground, and looming aver him is an enraged Pan.

"What did I tell you about touching things that aren't yours, Lance?" he snaps.

"What the-" Lance shouts, anger flashing dangerously in his eyes.

"And you!" Pan cuts Lance off, turning to point at me. "What the heck are you doing with him?"

"Well you obviously didn't want me, so I went with my second choice!" I shout frustratedly.

Pan still looks extremely angry, but I catch the small flicker of hurt that flashes in his eyes.

Before I can say anything else, Pan turns his attention back to Lance. "Now I'm going to kill you like I wish I had successfully done the last time," he says and lunges for Lance's chest.

"Stop!" I yell and jump in between the angered teens.

"Get out of my way!" Peter bites out through gritted teeth.

"No," I reply firmly. I then turn my head towards Lance. "Get out of here," I command. He then slowly rises to his feet and, after one last glare at Pan, he disappears before our eyes.

Pan just stands there fuming, staring at the spot Lance previously occupied for a minute then moving his death stare to me.

"Just take a deep breath and calm down," I order, calmly taking his hands in mine.

He immediately snatches them away and turns his back to me. I can see him attempting to get his anger under control by clenching and unclenching his fists and taking many deep breaths. I stand there supportively, patiently waiting for him to speak first.

Pan, with his back still to me finally speaks, "I'm sorry."

His apology is so unexpected that I don't know what to say. He turns around to face me and I see by the look in his eyes that he is completely sincere. "I'm sorry for everything I said and for sending you away. It was the worst decision I have ever made and have regretted it from the very moment you walked out of my tent. You were right. I am a heartless monster, but one that wants to be given the chance to change. Will you please forgive me and come back?" he gushes, his expression filled with pain and repentance.

I say nothing for a while as I try to push down the lump in my throat. I then slowly sit down on the log that is conveniently laying on the ground beside me.

"Please say something," he whispers in a pained voice.

I close my eyes to reign in my emotions. "No," is all I say.

"No?" he asks.

"No," I affirm.

"Why?"

"Because I already gave you a second chance," I answer quietly.

"What?"

"When you brought me back here, I could have left whenever I wanted. I could have erased your memories again and left, but I didn't. I stayed because no matter how much I wanted to leave, a part of me still wanted to believe that you could change. But I was wrong."

"But I-"

"Oh please," I cut him off. "You know deep down that I'm right. The proof is right in front of you! You sent me away because I made you feel vulnerable and weak. But you should also remember, your relationship with me also proved that you have a heart. I think that's what scared you the most about me. I brought out a side of you that no one else ever even knew existed, and you were afraid that it would eventually take away the respect and the fear that others felt towards you. You were afraid that it would make you soft. And I don't think you could bear loosing the power you wield just to be with me," I rant. Once I started, I found it very difficult to stop until I had all of my feelings out in the open.

He remains silent, looking ashamed as he stares at his feet.

"So no," I finish. "I won't return to camp with you because I know that eventually that inner monster will resurface and we'll be right back at square one. And what would be the point of that?"

I then turn to go, but his reply stops me. "Then why haven't you left?" He steps closer to me and I can feel his warmth just a few centimeters from my back. "I think that deep down you want me. You want me so bad that you are willing to stay on the island just so you can be near me, and believe me when I say that I want you just as badly," he whispers seductively in my ear as his hands gently caress my hips.

"I want to believe you, Peter. The sad thing is I don't," I whisper past the lump in my throat, and before he can say another word, I transport myself to my home atop Blind Man's Bluff, a place no one would ever think to look. Just as a precaution, I quickly place a cloaking spell around it so Pan won't be able to find me with his magic even if he wanted to.

I duck inside my tent, plop down on my make-shift bed, and begin to sob. A short while later, I hear a familiar and welcoming voice call my name.

"Catherine? Are you here?" Tiger Lily calls.

"Yes," I say, quickly wiping my eyes. I then poke my head out of the tent flap to see her. She's smiling, but as soon as she sees my face, her expression takes on a look of worry. "What is wrong, Catherine? What has happened?" she asks, hurrying to my side.

At her apparent concern, the tears start to flow again and she wraps me in a tight, comforting embrace. She then leads me back into my tent and we both sit down. "Now, tell me everything," she prompts and I do.

I have to stop a couple of times because I'm crying so hard, but she remains silent and patiently listens to what occurred over the past few hours.

When I finally finish relating my story to her, she says nothing, deciding to be supportive by just holding me as I shed my tears.

"I'm so sorry, Catherine," she whispers and all I can do to reply is nod.

And so we just sit there in my little tent, her comforting embrace the only thing that is holding together my battered, broken heart.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Third chapter of the 3 I promised! Hope you enjoyed your triple update! Love y'all!<strong>_


	16. Chapter 16

_Peter's POV_

_"No."_

Its amazing how much impact one word can have on a person.

_"No." _

Just one little word.

_"No." _

And my entire world fell apart.

* * *

><p>I lie there on my bed, just staring at the ceiling, contemplating everything that had occurred that afternoon. I feel a kind of emptiness when I remember the look of pain in Cat's eyes just before she turned her back on me and disappeared.<p>

I shut my eyes tight and attempt to push down both the anger and hurt I feel. I miss her. I miss her so much. I have regretted sending her away from the very moment she exited my tent. I had been trying to find her for days, but was unsuccessful. That is until today. I had felt so relieved when I was finally able to feel her aura again; I transported myself to her immediately. I wanted to touch her, hold her, kiss her, see her again.

When I arrived at her location, however, I saw a sight I thought I'd never see. Catherine with Lance's arms wrapped tightly around her, their lips touching. And the worst part was that she looked as if she wanted him just as much as he wanted her.

It was just too much to bear, seeing her enjoying someone else's attention especially his attention. So I lashed out and ripped Lance from her grasp with every intention of draining his black heart. When she had stopped me, I was extremely irate and only partially grateful to her for interference.

I then attempted to reign in my emotions, and once that was accomplished I admitted to her how I truly felt.

I wince at the pain in my chest as I remember the tightness her voice had held as she then went on to lecture me about my hypocrisy. Before I could get another word out, she had stiffly turned her back on me, and disappeared to where ever it is on the island she has decided to live despite my last-ditch effort at seduction.

I tried desperately once again to find her, but to no avail. She must have placed another Concealment Spell upon herself, and after a while, I gave up my search and returned to camp in defeat.

Now I find myself staring at the ceiling, rightfully blaming myself for all the pain I've put both myself and Catherine through.

_"I was a fool to think that you'd ever change. You're a heartless monster and I'm glad to be rid of you,"_ she had said.

"I know. I was wrong, and I'm sorry," I whisper to no one.

Then suddenly, without warning, a huge blast of magic overtakes me. The power of the blast knocks me off of my bed and the room begins to swim before my eyes. I moan, holding my head and squeezing my eyes shut in an attempt to stop the spinning.

Since I'm the technical ruler of the island, whenever any kind of magic is used, I'm able to feel how powerful it is and where its coming from. This particular blast seems to have originated from Blind Man's Bluff and whoever is responsible for it is in apparent emotional pain.

But this magic is different. Normally, even if large acts of magic are performed on the island, I can feel it, but it has never nearly knocked me out before.

I take a deep breath and slowly try to stand up. I grip my bed frame for support and try to lock onto the source of the magic. The effort only serves to make me more dizzy so I stop. But one thing is for certain. She is the one who is causing this power surge.

I dash from my tent and take off into the forest. I have to get to her. She's in trouble, and whether she wants to admit it or not, she needs me.

Some of the boys, including Curly, attempt to follow me, but I immediately tell them to stay behind.

"The best way you can help, is by staying here at camp," I order.

They all start to head back, when I call, "Curly!"

"Yes, sir," he replies.

"I'm going to need your help," I say.

He nods with a small smirk on his face and we dash off into the forest.

"What are we looking for exactly, Pan?" Curly asks from beside me.

"Your sister," I reply.

"Haven't we already tried that, though?"

"Yes, we have, but I just felt her give off a huge blast of magic that hasn't ceased for over the past five minutes."

"Does that mean-"

"Yes. She's in trouble."

"Well, then why don't you transport yourself to her? Do you even know where she is? Where the heck are we going anyway?" he peppers me with questions.

"Yes, I know where she is. No, I can't transport myself to her because her powers are giving off so much magic that I can't lock onto her without getting extremely dizzy."

Just as I finish saying that, another huge surge of magic courses through me and I stumble.

"Whoa, Pan! Are you alright?" Curly asks, taking a firm hold on my arm to steady me.

"Yeah. Yeah. I'm fine, but we've got to hurry," I say and we pick up speed. "And to answer your last question, we are headed to Blind Man's Bluff."

When we finally reach our destination, we can't believe the sight that reaches our eyes. The entire forest area surrounding the bluff is aflame, but its unlike any fire I've ever witnessed. Instead of spreading to the surrounding areas like it should, this fire is concentrated, refusing to lash out and consume the surrounding areas.

Just then, a blood curdling scream penetrates the evening air and wrenches me from my puzzlement. They are her screams. But they aren't screams of physical pain, they are cries of internal agony.

"Pan, you have to get to her," Curly exclaims desperately.

"I already told you, I can't!" I yell.

"You have to try!" he says. He then grabs my shoulders and turns me around to face him straight on. "Pan, I've seen you perform greater feats than this. You can do this. You just have to try."

His words awaken a determination in me that I didn't think I had, and I turn to face the flames. I take a deep breath and focus hard. The strength of her magic causes me to feel nauseous, and I lose my focus. I try again with no success.

I curse under my breath. "Calm down so I can help you, you little troublemaker," I say.

Almost as if she heard me, she immediately begins to calm down and I find my way in. I latch onto her aura and I feel myself being transported.

The next thing I know, I'm standing amidst the flames and just a few feet away from me, lies a weeping Catherine. Kneeling next to her is a panicked Tiger Lily and I can't help but be surprised at her presence.

Tiger Lily then looks up and sees me standing there. "You must do something!" she screams at me.

Her command brings me back to my present task. I quickly go to Catherine's side and gently take her tear-stained face in my hands. She immediately cries out and I bring my face close to hers.

"Love, I need you to listen to me," I try to whisper over the roars of the flames and she whimpers, signaling that she heard me. "Everything is going to be alright. You are fine. You just need to get control of your emotions," I instruct.

She says nothing, but her hands come up to grip my wrists. I know she hears me because she begins to take deep breaths, and the flaming inferno begins to weaken.

"Pan! Hurry!" Tiger Lily screams behind me.

Her shout causes Catherine to lose her focus and the fire regains its previous strength.

I turn to glare at Tiger Lily. "You're not helping!" I snap and she instantly quiets.

I then turn my attention back to Catherine. "It's okay, love. It's okay. Just look at me," I encourage.

She opens her eyes and they lock with mine. "That's it, love. Just look at me," I repeat.

She instantly begins to calm and her tears start to subside. "Yes, love. See? Everything is okay."

The flames then completely vanish and we all begin to relax. I smile down at my little warrior and say, "You did it, Cat. You beat your emotions."

She nods slightly, mumbling something that I can't quite understand, and then falls unconscious. I sigh and casually lean back on my heels. I look up to see Tiger Lily watching me cautiously and I return her stare.

"What happened?" I ask.

"I am not even entirely sure. One moment, we were sitting in her tent conversing and the next the whole forest erupts in flames," she replies.

"Were you talking about anything that could have made her get this upset?" I question.

She thinks for a moment and then answers quietly, "We were talking about you."

Her answer brings my guilt back anew and I look to the ground ashamed. Before I can ask another question, Curly bursts into the now quiet clearing. His eyes widen when he see's Catherine's unconscious form and he dashes to her side.

"Catey? Catey are you alright?" he asks, pulling her into his arms.

"She's fine, Curly. She just needs rest," I explain.

He sighs in relief and casually lifts her off the ground. "I'll bring her back to camp then," he says and starts off in the direction he came.

I rise to follow him when Tiger Lily stops us by asking, "She told me that you banished her from camp. Was that not true?"

Curly shoots me a hard and threatening stare, to which I reply, "We'll talk about it later, alright."

"No, we'll talk about it now. What is she talking about, Pan?" he asks angrily.

"Our first priority should be getting her someplace safe. We'll talk about it later," I repeat.

He throws a hostile glance my way and then walks away with Catherine in his arms.

"You never answered my question," Tiger Lily asks after a long silence.

"Yes, I did banish her, but it was a mistake. I'm bringing her back home now where she'll be safe, and will never be cast out again. I promise," I assure her.

"If anything happens to her," she threatens. "I will have your hide, Peter Pan."

"I'll be sure to remember that, princess," I reply curtly.

She shoots me one final glare and then takes of in the direction of her encampment.

After I know she's long gone, I breath a sigh of relief and take a look around the area to examine the damages. The island has already begun to repair itself, with new tree stalks pushing their way through the ashes.

Neverland's repairing process takes up much less time than normal forests, and after factoring in the scale of the fire and how it didn't spread, I conclude that the forest will be back to normal by sunrise the day after tomorrow.

"You can take care of yourself, right?" I quietly ask the island. As if in affirmation, some of the little saplings at my feet begins to grow a little larger.

Feeling satisfied, I then decide to return to camp to face interrogation from Curly that I most certainly will have to endure.

* * *

><p>After a very long and tiring conversation with Curly, I head back to my own tent to get some sleep. I told Curly everything, down to the very last minute detail of what happened that night and how I have regretted the decision from the very moment it was made. It was only after my sincere apology and the promise to not send her away again, he finally seemed satisfied and I felt comfortable in leaving him.<p>

We agreed to let Cat stay with Curly in his tent since she'd probably be more comfortable with her brother than with me at the moment. I hated having to leave her side again, but I considered it a fair enough punishment for all the pain I had caused both of us over the past week.

I lie down on my bed and stare at the ceiling for the second time today. I am still puzzling over how Catherine got so worked up in the first place. Tiger Lily's story just doesn't make sense, because if it really was me that had gotten Cat so upset, then why hadn't we had an episode like that earlier on this week? And furthermore, why would she have let me get as close to her as she did when I entered her flaming death trap to help her regain control over her emotions?

None of the facts seem to be adding up. Something is still missing from this little puzzle, and as soon as Cat wakes up, I'm going to find out what it is.


	17. Chapter 17

_Catherine's POV_

I can feel myself gradually coming out of unconscious, and I moan softly. I haven't opened my eyes, but already know that I'm not in the forest. Its too quiet and I can't feel the ever present breeze that whispers through all the trees. Also, whatever it is I'm lying on is much more comfortable than the forest floor.

I slowly open my eyes and take in my surroundings. I'm in a small tent with bare walls and a bow and a quiver with arrows is propped up in the far corner. I try to sit up, but the effort only serves to make me dizzy so I sink back down onto the pillows with a grunt.

I sigh. I wonder how long I've been here? I know where I am because its where I used to live with Ethan, and I am somewhat relieved that I'm here instead of ... somewhere else.

I stare at the ceiling for a while, and just before I'm about to try getting out of bed again, the tent flap opens.

"Well, good morning, sunshine," Ethan says hurrying over to my side. "Decided to join the living have you?"

I roll my eyes. "Yeah. Guess so," I reply smirking.

"Hold on just one sec. Where the heck is Collin?" he asks looking around.

"Collin?"

"Yeah. The new kid. Arrived just a few days after you left. He's about yay high with loads of freckles and the reddest hair you'll ever come across. You see, we've been watching over you in shifts to make sure your fever didn't come back. It's supposed to be his shift. Where the heck is he?" he explains. "Collin!" he yells.

"Ow!" we hear a yelp from under the bed after it vibrates a bit. We look over the right side to see a small boy attempting to wriggle out from underneath the frame. He is rubbing the top of his head as he curses and glares up at Ethan.

"Don' ya know its bad luck to wake a man when 'e's sleepin'?" he grunts and I can't help but laugh.

"Wha's so funny, lass?" he snaps.

"Nothin' laddy," I answer, failing to suppress another giggle. The truth is, the fact that he calls himself a man when he's only at most four and a half feet tall actually serves to be quite comical.

His scowl deepens as he gets up off the floor. He's short with bright red curls and loads of freckles, and the way he crosses his arms over his chest does nothing to help him look intimidating. In fact, it only serves to make him look like an angry leprechaun. The thought makes me chuckle quietly as I turn my attention back to my brother.

"I don't care if you were sleeping, Collin. It's your shift which means your supposed to stay awake to watch her," Ethan says with a menacing glare on his face.

I muster up my best accent and say, "Oh come off it, Ethan. I'm fine 'n I'm sure it gets rather boring jus' watchin' a lass sleep. Does it really ma'er now that I'm awake?"

Collin grins softly from where he stands beside the bed and Ethan looks down defeatedly. "Alright, I can't win with you, Catey," he grins and softly kisses my cheek.

"Now go and let Pan know she's awake," Ethan orders.

"Yes, sir," Collin says and hurries off.

"Does he have to know?" I whisper.

"Well, he hardly left your bedside since you got here and when your fever showed up he wouldn't leave unless he was forced, so I believe he has the right to know you're awake."

I'm shocked at his words. "You're joking, right?" I ask.

He only shakes his head and I turn to look in the other direction. "What happened? After I lost consciousness," I ask.

"You never did wake up and after a while, you got really sick. You had an awful fever and you kept screaming things in your sleep. It was something about mom and another person you called the Shadow. It gave us all quite a scare. Pan was really the only one able to get you to calm down and as soon as he left, you'd start up again," he explained.

"Scared the living daylights out of everyone," someone exclaims from the tent opening. We both look up to see who it is, and find Peter standing there, looking very tired and worn.

I freeze when I see him, and want to look away but find it very hard to. Ethan is still holding my hand comfortingly as he looks up at his leader.

"I've got to go talk to Collin about sleeping on the job, so I have to go," he whispers quietly to me. I grip his hand a little tighter. "Don't worry. I'll be back in a minute," he assures me, kissing my cheek once again and rising to leave.

He says something I can't hear when he passes Pan to exit the tent and Pan nods. After Ethan is gone, Peter comes over to sit in the chair on the right side of the bed. We say nothing for a long while until he finally speaks up.

"I'm sorry for putting you through so much pain," he says quietly and I nod in acknowledgement.

"We are only human," I reply.

"Can you ever forgive me?" he asks, looking over at me imploringly.

I sigh, turning away from his gaze and after another long silence, I look back over at him. He looks entirely sincere in his apology, but doubts still cross my mind.

"Please," he whispers.

Without a word, I reach out my hand to him. He just stares at it, a longing nearly hidden in his eyes, his muscles tense with restraint. He eventually returns his gaze to mine and I give him a slight nod of consent. He then gently takes it in his own and we return to silence.

"I'll leave as soon as I can walk," I say, breaking the silence between us this time.

"What?" he asks, all his attention immediately returning to me.

"I think that it would be best for me to leave after everything that happened between us. It would only serve to make things more awkward. Besides, I didn't think you really wanted me around anyway," I explained.

"What are you talking about? Do you really think that I'd let you go so soon after getting you back?" he asks, sounding a bit alarmed by my statement.

"If that were the case, then why did you send me away?" I ask him calmly.

His grip tightens on my hand and I can tell that my question, no matter how valid, upset him a lot. "I thought that we already went through this when I apologized," he says rather icily.

"I'm sorry for upsetting you, but I really just need to know if you're going to hurt me again," I proclaim, accidentally allowing my true emotions to show. I immediately look away from him as my tears begin to form and I know that my embarrassment is apparent. I quickly try to withdraw my hand from his grasp, but he holds fast.

He then gently grasps my chin and forces me to look back at him. "I am so sorry for the pain that I caused you and believe me when I say that I suffered just about as much as you. It is because of this that I promise you that I will never intentionally hurt you again. I love you, Catherine. Please stay with me," he pleads.

I search his eyes for any sign of insincerity, but find none. Before I can fully comprehend what I'm doing, I quickly lean forward and press my lips to his. It's not heated or desparate. Just very soft, slow, and sweet and when we finally separate, I sigh with contentment.

"So is that a yes?" he whispers.

"What do you think, bonehead?" I counter and he laughs.

"Sorry. Just making sure," he says and kisses me again.

When we finally separate, I ask him, "So, how long have I been unconcious?"

"About three days," he answers quietly.

I feel my eyes widen a bit and then it suddenly hits me. "Tiger Lily! Is she alright?"

At the mention of her name, Peter stiffens. "Yes, she's fine," he replies emotionlessly.

I gaze at him intently and after seeing my look, he sighs and continues, "She's alright. We just never have been on great terms."

I nod in understanding. "She's hard to get through to. As are you," I say giving him a pointed look, causing him to chuckle.

"Yes, that I am," he agrees.

We then return to silence.

"I should probably go," he says, and gets up to leave.

"Wait!" I say and he looks back at me inquisitively. "Please don't leave yet," I whisper and he smiles softly at me.

"Don't worry, love. I'll be back before you know it," he says and leans down to kiss me gently. I return his kiss and when he pulls away, I feel an emptiness settle inside me.

"You promise?" I ask peering innocently into his deep green eyes.

He smiles. "Promise," he whispers and kisses me once more. "Now get some rest. I'll be back in time to be here when you wake up."

I smile and close my eyes as he quietly exits the tent, and soon enough, I've fallen back into a deep slumber. Just before sleep drags me under however I think to myself, _Funny how love works. One moment you're wanting to leave them forever, the next you can't bear to be separated from them._

* * *

><p><em>I am running through the halls of our old castle. Something is chasing after me and its getting closer and closer. I don't dare turn around to face the creature for fear of slowing down, so I push on, stumbling over the hem of my dress a bit along the way.<br>_

_I feel it getting closer and closer still as I quickly dash through a doorway at the end of the hall and up a flight of stairs. At the top, I run into another room and barricade the door. I have witnessed the power of this creature before and know how it uses its silence to its advantage, sneaking up on unsuspecting victims and engulfing them into its dark death trap. _

_I take a deep breath and desperately search for a way out, knowing that the barricade won't keep him out for long. _

_I dash over to the window and wrench it open. I try to judge the distance to the ground and look around to see if I have enough material that would safely get me to the foot of the tower. I find a chest filled with sheets and desperately begin tying them together. _

_Just as I finish knotting the last one, I feel a physical pain unlike any other course throughout my entire body. _

_A screech escapes my lips as I sink to the ground. _

_"You stupid girl," a voice sounds from behind me. _

_"Mother," I state, glaring up at her. _

_"Did you really believe you could escape us!" she yells, smiling maliciously at me. _

_"At least now I can die knowing that I tried," I snap defiantly. _

_Another blast of pain surges through me and I cry out again. "Oh what a valiant heart. Too bad it's potential has gone to waste," she says, grinning at my apparent suffering. "Oh Pitch!" she summons in a sing-song voice._

_"No. Please, Mother. Not the Shadow!" I beg at her feet. _

_"You should have thought of that, Cathy, before you tried to escape," she exclaims. As soon as she finishes, an inky black substance leaks through the key hole of the door I attempted to barricade and takes shape right before our eyes. _

_I feel my eyes widen in fear and my mother laughs from behind me. "Finish her," she commands, and disappears. _

_After Mother vanishes, the Shadow then silently multiplies until one merges into the next and the entire world goes dark. _

* * *

><p>"Catherine!"<p>

"Catey!"

"Love, you have to wake up!"

Voices bombard me from all directions as I'm roughly jerked from my nightmarish dream. My eyes snap open to find everyone crowded around me. Micheal, Noah, and Collin are sitting at the foot of the bed, eyes wide in terror. Damian and Pierce stand directly behind them, faces white with fear. John stands next to Micheal, holding him close and on the opposite side of the bed, Davis and Robert are on their feet poised to run if need be. Gripping my right hand is Ethan, and his face is pale and filled with worry. I feel a pair of strong arms wrapped around the rest of my upper body and I glance up to find Peter looking down at me, his mouth in a thin line.

He then looks away and says, "She's okay, boys. Head on back to bed."

"But she's crying, Pan," Michael states and its then that I realize that tears are streaming down my cheeks. I quickly close my eyes and will the tears to stop to no avail. I finally give up and burry my face in Peter's chest.

"She'll be alright, Michael, after she's calmed down a bit," Ethan says soothingly. "The only way you can help her now is by going to bed so she can get back to sleep."

I hear the boys grudgingly consent as they exit the tent. After they are all gone, Peter captures my chin and raises my face. "Are you alright?" he asks, concerned.

"Yeah," I lie unsuccessfully because of the fresh tears giving me away and he pulls me to him again. I can't stop the flow of my tears as I grip him tightly.

"They are getting worse," I hear him whisper to Ethan.

"Maybe it would be best for her to stay with you for the time being," my brother replies just as quietly.

I want to let them know that I can hear them talking about me, but I frustratingly can't get a word out through my sobs.

"Alright, love. Let's go," Peter says as he lifts me gracefully wedding style from Ethan's bed. Ethan comes over to us and gives my forehead a soft kiss.

"Please keep her safe," he asks.

"I will," Pan replies and we leave.

We then enter another tent that I quickly recognize as his, and even though this was the location of our last fight, I strangely feel safe here. He then lies me gently onto the bed and positions himself next to me, wrapping me in his arms.

"I can't sleep, Peter," I whimper after a while and I curse myself for sounding so pathetic.

"It's alright, love. I'll be right here the whole time," he assures. "Besides, it was only a dream. Nothing can hurt you in a dream."

"But it wasn't a dream," I whisper. "It was real."

He stiffens at my reply, but is quick to assure me, "I promise that as long as I'm here, I won't let anything or anyone, real or imaginary, harm you."

He then kisses my forehead softly and I snuggle a little closer to him. "Now go to sleep. I'll be right here the whole time," he promises again and pretty soon, I'm able to fall into a deep, and thankfully dreamless, sleep.


	18. Chapter 18

_Peter's POV_

She had only one other fit during the night, but I was successfully able to calm her down before anyone else woke up. It happened just before dawn, so I haven't even tried to go back to sleep.

I watch her silently as she restlessly sleeps and gives out the occasional whimper. I stroke her hair softly and plant a kiss on her forehead. She's curled into me with a slight look of pain on her face. Her breathing begins to speed up and I know that she's seeing _it_ again.

Before she can get far enough in the dream to see whatever causes her to lose herself, I begin prodding her from sleep.

"Catherine," I whisper into her ear. "Catherine."

She gasps as her eyelids jerk open. She looks around wildly, a crazed look on her face. When her gaze finds mine, fear overtakes her, and like a cornered animal, she begins to lash out. She kicks scratches, and even throws a punch at me which successfully connects with my mouth. I try to pin her down, but its no use. She keeps flailing around and when I'm finally able to get her under control, she starts screaming, "Please! Please! Please don't hurt me!"

"Shh. It's okay. No one can hurt you here. Everything is okay," I whisper and softly stroke the side of her face in an attempt to calm her down. She immediately begins to quiet and her eyes start to refocus.

Her reaction to being woken up worries me as I rub the pain from my jaw. I've never seen anything like this and it only seems to be getting worse. I look worriedly down at her as she continues to calm.

After a while, she finally whispers, "I'm sorry."

"No, love. There's no reason you should be sorry," I assure her.

"But your lip, it's split," she says quietly.

I bring my hand to my mouth and feel something warm and sticky. I wince, but immediately try and cover it up by saying, "It's just a little scratch." I then quickly use my magic to heal the wound.

I look back at her and smile. "See? No harm done."

But she doesn't return my smile. Instead, she turns away from me with tears in her eyes. "I never should have stayed," I hear her mumble.

"Don't say that," I say and tug her to me.

"And why not? Ever since I've returned, I've kept everyone up at all hours of the night, scared everybody nearly to death, hurt you-"

"And have made me feel whole again," I cut her off.

She looks at me surprised. "What was that?"

"I said, you have made me feel whole again," I repeat, and new tears flood her eyes. I can tell, however, that these tears are not of sorrow, but of joy. I return her smile as she wraps her arms around my neck. She then kisses me soundly on the mouth and I chuckle softly.

When she finally pulls back far enough that I can speak, I confess, "I love you, Catherine."

She kisses me again and replies shyly, "I love you, too, Peter."

Her statement causes my heart to soar, and I pull her in for another kiss. She sighs contently. After a while, she pulls back with a huge smile on her face and lays her head in the crook of my arm.

We just lie like that for a few minutes in silence, until eventually she says to me, "I bet you're wondering what has caused me to have these 'episodes' as you and Ethan call them."

I clear my throat awkwardly before replying, "Yes, but I figured you'd tell me when you were ready so I didn't push."

"Thank you for that. I appreciate you keeping your promise," she says.

"Anything for you, love," I reply, grinning mischeviously.

"I do believe that I'm ready to talk about it now, though," she says and I listen.

"You remember where Ethan and I came from, correct?" she asks and I nod.

"The Land of Magic, Dreamland, Fantasy Island, the Enchanted Forest," I list off all the different names of her old home.

"Yeah," she chuckles. "And do you remember anything else about my past?" she questions.

"I remember that your dad was the king of Akriv and your mom was one of the most powerful sorceresses to have ever existed," I recall. "Her name was Morgana, right?"

"Yes," she grimaces and looks away.

"I remember you telling me last night that it wasn't a dream. If it's not that, then what is it?" I ask and she sighs.

"It's a memory," she states.

She then goes on to explain in detail how in the memory, her mother proceeds to sic her shadow slave, Pitch, on Catherine. Just before the demon completely engulfs her, however, she manages to wake up from her dream state, but she remembers the rest just as if it had happened yesterday.

"There was darkness all around me and I was screaming for anyone to please help me. Just as the shadow demon was about to devour me, a large bright light pulsed throughout the entire room and Pitch fled, leaving me alone and able to escape out the tower window. I don't know who created that light or why. All I know is that they did," she finishes.

"I'm sorry," I apologize after a long silence when I can't think of anything else to say.

"Why? Its not like it was your fault. Heck, there's not even really anything to apologize for. It's my history. It's what has helped shape me into who I today," she says simply.

"Do you have any idea why these memories are returning as often as they do?"

"Absolutely none. I doubt anyone from that time is even still alive accept for Ethan and me."

We sit there in silence, pondering everything she just said, when suddenly, we hear screaming coming from outside the tent.

I leap from the bed and grab my dagger from my map table. I nearly run into Curly on my way out the door.

"What's going on?" I ask.

"It's Hook. He's found us. And, umm..." he trails off.

"And what?" I urge.

"He has a new friend," he whispers, shooting a pointed look at Catherine.

She looks at us confused, then her face pales when a voice outside calls out, "Where is she?"

"Stay here with her," I instruct Curly quietly, and dash from the tent.

I see all the boys being restrained by Hook's men, everyone bloodied and bruised, and scowling maliciously.

"What's this about, Hook? I thought that we'd agreed that you'd stay off the island if we stayed off your ship?" I ask enraged, and very wary as to why he's here.

"Well you did break that rule yourself just a few days ago when you got back your little pet, so I believe we are at least somewhat even," he replies icily. "Besides, I've finally made up me mind about your pet's offer. I'm now willing to help her off the island."

"Don't you think it's a little late in the game for that?" I ask coldly.

"Not necessarily. You see Pan, I have a certain friend who has been dying to see her," he says, a malicious grin spreading across his face.

"And who, pray tell, is this new friend of yours?"

"Why don't you ask her yourself?" he asks chuckling.

Just as I'm about to reply, a strange fog drifts into camp. We hear rustling in the trees and I scan the tree line for signs of movement. A slim figure then materializes in the mist, and I squint to try and make out her identity. The woman in question then steps forward into the clearing, and I realize who Hook's new _friend_ is.

It's Morgana.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Hey guys! Okay, just to clarify, Catherine and Ethan's mother, Morgana, is not like the one from Merlin or the Sorcerer's Apprentice or even from the story of King Aurthur. Call me crazy but I just thought the name Morgana sounded like an awesome evil mother name so that's what I decided to call her. Hope y'all are enjoying the story and I'd love to hear your feedback! Love y'all!<em>**


	19. Chapter 19

_Catherine's POV_

"Don't you think it's a little late in the game for that?" I hear Peter question.

"Not necessarily. You see Pan, I have a certain friend tho has been dying to see her," Hook replies, a smirk in his voice.

I think about all the people I know who would "be dying to see me," but none of the ones that come to mind have any connection to Hook as far as I know.

"And who, pray tell, is this new friend of yours?" Peter voices my question.

"Why don't you ask her yourself?" Hook counters, chuckling.

The whole clearing quiets and I silently peak through the tent flap. There is an eerie mist shrouding the entire camp, and I strain to make out who the figure entering the clearing is. Ethan is peering over my shoulder, also trying to see who the new visitor is.

When her face finally becomes fully visible, I gasp in shock.

"What the..? It can't be," Ethan whispers behind me, but I know that what we are seeing is real. There, now standing next to Hook, is the one person I hoped I would never have to lay eyes on again. Mother.

Even though my first instinct is to flee, I remain still so I don't attract any unwanted attention. Mainly Mother's.

"Morgana," Peter says coldly. "Isn't this a surprise?"

"Hopefully not too much of one, Peter Pan," she replies in a silky voice, and I can practically see the glare Peter shoots her way.

"What is it you want, Morgana?" he asks.

"Why, isn't obvious? I'm here for my children. To remove them from this godforsaken place and bring them back home where they belong," she answers innocently.

"If they really were so important to you, wouldn't you have already tried to retrieve them before now?" Peter scoffs.

"Well how do you expect me to take on one of the most powerful beings in all the realms by myself?" she returns, again with feigned innocence.

I silently snort unbelievingly at this. She herself is one of the most powerful beings in all the realms and could easily take on Pan alone if she had truly wanted to.

Peter catches her lie as well and states, "Please love, flattery will get you no where. Besides, even I'll admit that you could easily take me on. Why are you really here?"

Her false smile immediately disappears and a stony look replaces it. "You should know exactly why I'm here," she spits out. "And you know what I want. You brought Cathy here for a reason, Pan, and I am going to see to it that you fail."

"And what makes you think that I brought her here for a certain purpose?"

"Oh Peter, you and I both know that you never do anything without a specific reason for doing it. Otherwise you find it a waste of your time."

"What if I had just brought her back because I missed her?"

"Once again, I know your history with my daughter and how she wiped any memory of herself from your mind, so I know that can't be true," she says and then repeats, "I know that you brought her here for a special purpose and I won't let you go through with it."

"Well, you should know that I am not letting you have her without a fight," he retorts.

"I'm so glad you feel that way, Peter. Otherwise I would have brought him here for nothing," she says gesturing to Hook who is now holding a small wooden box, grinning deviously. I recognize the box from somewhere, but struggle to remember where I'd seen it before.

As I continue to ponder over the origin of the box, Peter scoffs laughingly, "Who? Hook? You really need to rethink who you've brought along with you, because he is no threat to me."

"Oh no, I wasn't talking about Hook," Mother replies, gingerly taking the box from the captain. "I was referring to my most trusted servant. Maybe you've met him. If I'm correct, Cathy has been having nightmares about him for the past few days."

I can feel the color drain from my face as she says the last sentence. Peter looks skeptically at her and crosses his arms in front of him. Mother grins devilishly from where she stands and before Peter has a chance to question as to what is in the mysterious box, she opens the lid and a huge, black figure rises from within. It's Pitch, my mother's shadow demon.

The creature lowers itself next to its mistress, waiting patiently for her orders. Peter gets into a defensive stance, ready to ward off any attacks. She gives the shadow a slight nod and it lunges forward. It has the appearance and quickness of a snake striking and Peter isn't prepared for it. He's sent flying across the clearing, but is miraculously able to land on his feet.

His face twists into a look of fury and I know that he is now out for blood. A fireball appears in his hand and he launches it at the demon. Just as it is about to come into contact with the creature, it disappears by sinking into the Earth.

Peter stiffens and remains poised at the ready. The shadow then rises up from the ground directly behind Peter. It grows larger and larger and is about to attack Peter from behind.

I can hear Mother laughing maliciously from the other end of the clearing, and before I even know what I'm doing, I dash from the tent. Ethan tries to grab my wrist and pull me back, but he's too late. I'm already too far out of his reach.

Peter sees me and his eyes grow large. "What the heck are you doing?" he screams at me.

I don't pay any attention to him because the shadow has taken the distraction I have provided as an opportunity to strike. Just as it is about to engulf Peter, I transport myself to the spot directly in between them.

Almost as if someone else is controlling me, I raise my hands, palms out, and fix my eyes to the spot on the shadow where its heart would be if it had one. I take a deep breath, focus on that one spot, and right when the darkness is about to engulf me entirely, a bright white light shoots from my hands.

The shadow shrieks, an unearthly sound that causes my blood to run cold, and then flees back into the box from where it originally came.

I'm breathing heavily from the exertion and stare down at my hands in disbelief. I slowly turn to face everyone else and see that they are all staring at me as well. The pirates look at me with fear, the Lost Boys with respect, my brother with surprise, and my mother with anger. The last person I look at is Peter and I can see the mixed emotions of shock and pride in his face.

I give him a small reassuring smile, then turn to face my mother and the pirates. "That was a warning to you all. If any of you dare to set foot here again, you will wish you hadn't," I warn in a loud enough voice for all to hear me.

Mother continues to stare me down and as the rest of the pirates release their captives and turn to leave she says, "And I shall now warn you that this is not the last you'll see of me, Cathy. Until we meet again, daughter." She then turns on her heel and disappears into the forest.

All those left in camp stare at me incredulously, but before any of them can ask questions, I transport myself to Hangman's Tree.

I remember it being a favorite spot of Peter's and I know that if he knows I've come here, he'll follow. I just really need to talk with him alone for a while without any chance of interruption. He appears before me a few seconds later and I feel relieved to see that he's alright.

I move to sit on the bear-skin bed in the corner of the room, and he remains where he is leaning against the wall.

"I know that we both have questions that need answers to, but first I want to make one thing absolutely clear," I begin. "I have no idea what happened back there so before you ask, just know that I don't have an answer."

He only nods to me in understanding. After a long silence, he then asks, "Do you think she's the reason you've been having all the nightmares?"

"I don't. I do think that something or someone close to her caused them, though," I answer honestly.

He nods again. "Can you think of anyone who could have come into contact-" he begins, but cuts himself off. "Lance."

"What?" I ask, confused.

"It was Lance," he repeats. "He's the one who caused you to have the bad dreams."

"Okay, Peter. I get that you were jealous of that kiss and all, but I thought that we had let it go," I state.

"No no. Just listen to me a sec. There's this special powder called Dreamshade, made from mixing nightshade berries and dream dust, or pixie dust as it's most commonly referred to. It's one of those substances that, if a person comes into contact with it, causes them to relive their most horrible and fearful memories. Lance was the only one who came into contact with you before the the first incident on Blind Man's Bluff, correct? So that means it had to have been him!" he explains. "Was there anything on his clothes or his hands maybe that felt kind of grainy?"

I sit and think for a moment. "Now that you mention it, his lips did feel a bit grainy. But how did the powder not affect him if he was also in direct contact with it?" I ask.

"Once it has been used on you, you become immune to it and it can't affect you ever again. That's why people don't use it as often. It's just too unpredictable as to whether or not it will work," he clarifies and I nod in understanding.

"Well that explains that, but I do have one other question for you," I say.

"Alright, shoot," he says.

"My mother said that you brought me here for a reason. I've been wondering this for a while, but why did you bring me back?" I ask.

He sighs and looks away from me guiltily. "I brought you here so that you could perform the Shift," he replies quietly. Peter then goes on to explain how the Shift works and how every hundred years, he has to find someone new to come and perform it.

"Why is it so important that the Shift occurs?" I question.

"Because if it doesn't, the island will be destroyed and everyone living here will die," he explains.

"Why don't you just perform it yourself?"

"As the Shift approaches, my powers begin to weaken and it will eventually kill me if its not performed in time," he reveals and I feel my eyes widen in shock. "But like all magic, it comes at a price."

"And what is that price?" I ask hesitantly.

After a long pause, he reluctantly answers, "The spell requires a heart powerful enough to withstand the tests of time, which means that it must be removed from the person performing the spell and more often than not, it results in their death. Otherwise they are bound to the island for eternity."

I take in a sharp breath and close my eyes. "I normally don't tell people the whole truth because they would more than likely back out and I couldn't have that happen," he whispers.

"Then why did you tell me?" I ask and am surprised at how strong my voice sounds.

"Because," he says, voice low. "I wanted you to know what would happen to you if I was still crazy enough to make you go through with it."

My eyes snap open. "What do you mean 'if you were crazy enough to make me go through with it?'" I ask incredulously.

"I mean that I'm not forcing - no, correction - letting you go through with it. I am not letting you go through with it. It's too dangerous and if you died because of something I made you do, I could never live with myself. And if I die because of that, so be it," he states.

"No!" I shout and go to his side. "I'm not going to let you die," I whisper, wrapping my arms around him.

"Well, I'm not letting you perform the Shift," he whispers back.

"Can't we all just leave the island together before the Shift? How much time do we have left anyway?"

"About a day. And I could take you and the Lost Boys off the island, but my soul is bound to the island, meaning that no matter where I go, if the island dies, I die too," he explains.

I clutch him a little tighter. "We'll just have to find another way then," I say and kiss him softly. "I will not give up on you so easily, Peter Pan."

At that, Peter kisses me soundly on the mouth and lifts me off the ground. He lays me gently on the bed and lies next to me. I have my arms wrapped around his neck and I keep trying to pull him closer. His hands caress my hips as he kisses me hungrily.

I don't know exactly how long we stay like that, but after a while I place my hand on his chest and gently push him back. "We should head back," I whisper.

"Why should we? The boys can take care of themselves," he states with a slight look of annoyance on his face.

"It's not the boys I'm worried about," I reply. When he raises his eyebrows at me , I say, "I'm worried about Ethan."

He frowns at this, asking, "Curly? Isn't he technically one of the boys? Besides, why should he care what happens between us?"

"Because he's my brother and tends to worry over nothing," I explain.

We continue this back and forth banter for a while, until he finally gives in.

"Sheesh. I can't win with you can I?" he asks, giving me a peck on the tip of my nose.

"No, you can't," I tease and kiss his lips tantalizingly slow.

"Now I really won't let you leave," he states and tries to kiss me again, but I dodge him and put my finger to his lips.

"Later, okay?"

He sighs and then grudgingly nods. I rise from the bed and hold out my hand to him. He stands as well and accepts my outstretched palm.

With fingers intertwined, we return to camp where we proceed to celebrate our victory over Mother, Hook, and the pirates with a bonfire and music. Peter even agrees to play his pipe and I sing along for a while.

When the night is up, we all turn in and I find myself once again drifting off to sleep in Peter's arms, praying that tonight's dreams will be of us and the time we shared in Hangman's Tree.


	20. Chapter 20

_Peter's POV_

I hear the snap of a twig just outside the tent flap and I am immediately on alert. I look over and see that Catherine is breathing softly, still deep in sleep. I feel a tug in my chest as I watch her, but another noise from outside draws my attention back to the reason I am now fully awake.

I silently slip from the bed so as not to disturb her, grab my dagger, and quietly exit the tent. I scan the surrounding area for any sign of movement. I listen intently to the night air and that's when I hear the rustling of leaves. I turn my head in the direction of the noise and see an indistinguishable figure turn and disappear into the dark jungle.

I debate on whether or not to wake Curly or Catherine to come with me but decide against it considering that this is probably the first time since Catherine's return that they've been able to sleep peacefully. Besides, I can take care of myself.

I take one final look towards my tent where Catherine sleeps soundly and without another word, I head into the forest after the mysterious figure.

After a while I begin to hear footsteps coming up from behind me. There are two sets and one is too heavy to be those of a Lost Boy and I know that my men would never betray me. That means it must be Hook and Lance.

I sigh. They never learn, do they?

I follow the original night walker at a distance for a time, but when I finally decide to confront the individual, he stops. I quickly realize that it is not a he, however, but is in fact a she when the hood of the cloak is removed from her face. It's Morgana.

I wait behind a tree to see what she will do next but all she does is stand there, the moon light filtering through the trees above her, giving her an innocent glow. It's then that I see how alike Catherine and her mother look. As soon as the thought enters my head, though, I shake my head in an attempt to get rid of it. Looks can be deceiving, and Morgana is nothing like Catherine.

"Are you going to approach me, Pan, or are you just going to stand there gawking like an idiot?" Morgana calls out sweetly with a hint of malice.

Yep. Nothing like Catherine.

I roll my eyes and come out from behind the tree.

"I'm just curious, but was it me you were trying to cause to drool or him?" I ask jabbing my thumb in the direction the seemingly dumb-struck Captain. "Because if it was him you were targeting, you did a very good job of it."

Lance looks over at his partner and smacks him across the face, causing the dazed look to disappear from it. He looks annoyedly at Lance as he attempts to rub the pain from his cheek. Lance remains looking forward, but I see a hint of a smirk form on his face.

Morgana then sneers at me. "You are very lucky that I need you alive, Pan. That attitude won't get you anywhere with me, and I make a much better ally than enemy," she threatens and I remember Catherine saying something similar to me on her return to Neverland. The thought causes me to smirk.

She raises her eyebrow at me and I answer her unasked question. "You see, love, Catherine said something very similar to me on her return to Neverland, and frankly, I'm more afraid of her than I am of you," I explain.

She laughs emotionlessly. "Is it because she holds the very existence of your precious island in the palm of her hand?"

"No," I reply bluntly, and her smile fades. "She has much greater power than you will ever have. She is more of a threat to me than you will ever be."

Of course, this is only a half truth. The main reason is actually because I'm afraid of losing her and I couldn't bear that. But I can't let Morgana on to this lest she use the information against me, so I leave that piece out.

She glares at me and says, "Enough! Lance, shoot him!"

I turn and see Lance advancing towards me with an arrow pointed directly at my chest, and I snort. "Haven't we already been through this? Neither he nor Hook is a threat to me."

Morgana grins maliciously. Without acknowledging my comment, she commands, "Fire."

Lance's arrow flies through the air and just as it is about to pierce my chest, I grab it in my hand. I look up at the sky and sigh dramatically. They really do never learn.

"You know, if you were aiming to kill me, you really should have come up with a better plan than this one," I state, twirling the arrow in my hand. I then turn to look back at Morgana and see that she is triumphantly smirking at me. A small tinge of worry begins to pool in the pit of my stomach.

"If that were the case, then why would we coat the shaft of the arrow with nightshade?" she asks pointedly.

As the true impact of her words starts to sink in, I feel my body stiffen as the nightshade poison begins to take affect.

"You wanted me to follow you out here, didn't you?" I snarl.

"Finally you've shown that you do have a brain. Bravo, Peter," she applauds, causing my blood to boil. "You are familiar with the nightshade toxin, correct?"

When I fail to respond, she laughs wickedly and says, "Of course you are, but I'll just explain it to you anyway to pass the time. You see, as soon as the nightshade toxin comes into contact with living flesh, it immediately begins to travel to every limb of the victim's body, causing paralysis and, if in large doses, can even result in death. This renders the victim defenseless until the toxin wears off, which unfortunately for you, won't be for quite some time. Which means," she says and her voice lowers menacingly as she finishes, "you're mine, Peter Pan."

She then snaps her fingers and Hook steps forward. "Night, mate," he declares and swings the hilt of his sword down onto my head.

Just before everything falls into darkness, I hear Morgana say, "They never learn, do they?"


	21. Chapter 21

_Catherine's POV_

I wake up the next morning, yawn, and stretch. I open my eyes expecting to see Peter's peering into mine like usual, but he is no where to be seen. I find his absence odd, but just assume that he decided to go ahead and get up without me.

I get out of bed and, after grabbing my dagger, start to head outside. Just as I make it to the tent opening, I am nearly plowed over by a very panicked Michael.

"Whoa there, kid. What's up?" I ask him, grabbing his shoulders to steady him.

"It's...it's...oh, you just have to come out and see for yourself!" he exclaims exasperatedly, and I can't help but worry.

He then grabs my hand and pulls me outside, where we find the rest of the Lost Boys huddled around a tree at the edge of the campsite. We make our way through the crowd of boys, and when I reach the front, I find myself standing next to Ethan. He is holding a piece of paper in his hand, a perplexed look on his face.

"What is it?" I ask him and he hands the note to me.

I take it and read. I have a hard time believing the words on the page, so I read it twice.

_He shall forever belong to me, lest you reach him by time of three. _

_Love, Mother_

Even though the rhyme is extremely corny, I feel fear begin to pool in the pit of my stomach. This feeling only grows when Ethan hands me a dagger that I'm more than familiar with.

"This was with it," he whispered so only I can hear him, and my suspicions are confirmed.

She has Peter.

* * *

><p><em>Peter's POV<em>

I wake up to find myself surrounded by darkness. It only takes a moment for my eyes to adjust, and when they do I see that I have been locked in a dark, dingy little room without any windows and only one door to the outside. The cracks surrounding the door are the only sources of light and this strangely gives me comfort because at least I know that there is still a chance I will be able to see Catherine again.

I get up and try to walk over to the door, but just as I reach out to grasp the handle, I am stopped by a set of chains around my wrists.

I sigh. They really thought that these could hold me?

I easily break free from the chains and absentmindedly rub my wrists. I reach for the door's handle again, but before I get close enough to touch it, it is violently swung open.

The sudden entrance of light causes me to go blind for a moment, but my eyes are quickly able to adjust again, and I find myself looking at Morgana.

"Finally awake I see," she comments as she enters the little room, lantern in hand.

No one followers her inside, so I assume that she is alone. She then closes the door softly behind her and turns to look at me.

She frowns and then tsks. "Oh dear. You've already managed to escape your chains. We'll just have to fix that, won't we?" she asks with a malicious grin.

Right when she finishes saying this, two huge pulses of brilliant blue light jet out from the floor and snake their ways up both of my arms, yanking me to my knees. Morgana chuckles from where she now stands looming over me.

"Oh you have no idea how wonderful it makes me feel to see you like this, Peter. Vulnerable, weak, and on your knees," she explains.

I glare up at her, and she returns the gesture with a smile of satisfaction. I attempt to free myself of my new bonds, but am stopped by a surge of electricity that pulses throughout my entire body.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. You see, those bonds are actually made of large volts of electricity, and if you try to escape, it will only serve to deliver you an electric shock."

"Why all the precautions, Morgana? Why do you need me so badly? I thought you came here for something else, not me," I ask.

She summons the chair that just happened to be sitting in the corner of the room and delicately lowers herself into it. "Not something, dear boy, but someone," she begins after finishing getting comfortable. "I am here for Cathy. In fact, she was the one I was trying to draw out of camp. But when I saw that it was you I had been able to coax out into the open, I just couldn't help myself."

I look at her with raised eyebrows and she continues. "You see, Pan, you and Cathy are bound by a power greater than any other, and I knew that if I went ahead and took you, it would only be a matter of time before she'd follow and try to save you. And I was right. She's on her way here right now."

I glare at her, all the while both wishing that Catherine hadn't fallen for her mother's obvious trap and that I hadn't been so stupid to go after Morgana by myself in the first place.

"What do you want with her? Whatever it is I will do it instead, just please don't hurt her," I plead rather pathetically and she laughs.

"Oh Peter, I do love seeing you beg. It's quite funny actually to see one of the supposedly most powerful beings in all the realms stoop so low. But I'm afraid that you can't take her place because I require her heart to save myself, which somewhat ironically is what you brought her back for in the first place, am I correct?"

"I freed her from that burden. It is now mine and mine alone to bear," I counter coldly.

"How sweet. Love really does make us do crazy things, wouldn't you agree? Things like giving up our homes and our lives to keep the ones we love from harm," she says.

"Well that philosophy doesn't seem to apply to you, does it? You go around hurting the people you claim to love all the time for your own personal gain. And what's worse is the fact that you feel no guilt about doing it. In fact, you find it pleasurable to see those around you suffer," I finish just as a huge pulse of electricity courses through me. I grit my teeth to keep from crying out and I can see that I reached my goal in angering her.

"You really should learn that words are the best way to get yourself killed, Pan," she threatens darkly.

"But the thing is, you won't kill me because you need me alive to offer me up to her as bait when she gets here, and you can't really do that successfully if I'm dead," I taunt and another electric shock goes through me.

"We'll just have to see, won't we?" she says, flashing me an unforgiving smile.

It's then that I hear the sounds of battle commence somewhere above us and I know that Catherine is up there fighting in her attempt to rescue me.

"Now I must go confront my daughter to discuss the terms of your release," Morgana says and rises from her seat. "See you in a little while, Pan."

She throws me one last sugar-coated smile and exits my cell, slamming the door in her wake.


	22. Chapter 22

_Catherine's POV_

_(A few minutes earlier.) _

I feel adrenaline coarse through me when I think of what we are about to do. Hook's pirate ship floats silently on the surface of the water, and in the sky above, dark clouds are beginning to form.

"Storm's brewing," Collin declares from where he is crouched next to me.

"In more ways than one," I reply and he nods solemnly in silent agreement.

We then watch silently as Ethan and the rest of the Lost Boys silently emerge from the tree line and slink stealthily beneath the surface of the lagoon. I placed a Sea Dweller Charm on them earlier so that they would have the ability to breath under water and therefore be able to get to the floating vessel undetected. They are the primary force and the distraction that Collin and I are going to use to board the ship without being noticed.

I hear a bird call in the distance that I recognize as the signal Tiger Lily said she'd use to alert us of her troops arrival.

Before even attempting this rescue, I knew that we would need some reinforcements, so I went to Chief Great Big Little Panther and asked if he would help. Considering his history with Peter, I believed that he would turn me away. However, I was happily surprised when he said, "Peter Pan may have wronged us many times, but you have been nothing but kind to us. My men and I shall follow you into battle, Catherine."

I had gratefully accepted his help and now, after hearing Tiger Lily's call, I am reassured of the outcome of today's battle.

"Thank you for coming with me, Collin," I whisper to the boy next to me.

"Is not a problem, lass," he replies. "Besides, I knew yer brother woul' not be easy 'til someone agreed to go with you."

I chuckle at the truth of his words. "Yeah. He did seem a bit tense when I told him my roll in Peter's rescue."

"Don' worry, Cat. We'll get him back," he reassures, placing his hand on my shoulder.

I nod to him and give him a small smile. "With you all at my side, we can't fail," I say.

"Tha's the spirit, lass," he says and we both fall silent once more.

I allow a few more minutes to pass before I motion to Collin that its time for us to go. I also placed the Sea Dweller Charm upon the two of us as well so that we may move along under water without detection.

We silently move to the beach and quickly sink beneath the surface. We walk along the ocean floor until we find ourselves directly beneath the Jolly Roger. Only then do we begin to rise.

When our heads break the surface, I can hear a discussion taking place on deck. It's Ethan attempting to negotiate Peter's release with Hook, even though we already know what the answer will be.

I look to Collin and gesture for him to start climbing. When we get about halfway up the ships helm, shouting can be heard and the clanging of metal-on-metal signals the beginning of battle.

Collin and I stealthily slink over the rail of the ship and duck behind a stack of barrels that stink of rum. I curl my nose at the smell, never having been very fond of the smell of alcohol.

I then proceed to scan the deck for any trace of a door that could lead us below. Collin taps my shoulder and points towards a small hatch just a few feet away in the floor next to wall. He takes a step forward, but I grab hold of his shirt to pull him back.

"I haven't found my mother yet. After I locate her, then we move," I whisper into his ear and he nods.

I scan the deck once again, this time searching for any sign of Mother, but she is no where to be seen. This means that she is probably below decks with Peter.

I groan inwardly at this realization. Collin senses my annoyance and shoots me a questioning look. I point to the area below our feet and he understands what I mean. A frown forms on his face and I know he is just as annoyed with this recent development as I am.

He beckons me to lean towards him, and after I do, he whispers, "I say we 'ead on down, an' if we run into the old lady, then so be it. At least we can then say we tried instea' of sittin' up here like a couple of ducks."

I weigh the consequences that could come with his idea against the odds of us getting caught if we just sat here and after a moment, and I nod to him in agreement. If we got caught now, everything we've accomplished thus far would have been or nothing and Peter would most certainly be killed.

We manage to get to the hatch safely and quietly descend the set of stairs that lead to the brig. I can hear Mother talking and I motion for Collin to stay silent.

"See you in a little while, Pan," she says and I start to panic.

I look wildly around for a place to hide and see a small hole in the wall. Without explaining anything to Collin, I grab his hand and wave my free one over both of us, whispering, _"Abhorreo."_

We immediately begin to shrink. Once we are the size of mice, I push him into the crack in the wall and follow after him. I then peek outside our hiding place and watch Mother exit the middle cell. Collin tries to speak, but I clamp my hand over his mouth before he gets the chance to. Mother then walks right past us and ascends the stairs with a broad smile on her face.

We wait in our hiding place for what feels like ages until I'm sure she's gone. We then exit the hole in the wall and I whisper, _"Auctus,"_ causing us to return to our normal size.

I beckon for Collin to follow me and we both head towards the middle cell. There is a strange blue light coming from inside, but I'm too focused on getting to Peter that I don't stop to think about what it could be. I place my hand on the door nob and nearly cry out in pain as a shock of electricity jolts through me.

I snatch my arm back and wince at the pain in my hand. Collin asks if I'm alright and I nod. A new sense of determination swells up inside me and I motion for Collin to stand back. My eyes narrow in concentration as I stretch my arms out in front of me. A huge blast jets out from my hands and the door explodes.

Collin and I then hurry into the room. Relief floods through me when I see Peter and I rush to his side.

Before I can reach out to him, however, he says, "Don't touch me!"

I look at him confused, and he glances towards his bonds. There are large electrical coils wrapped around both of his arms and I understand why he said what he did.

I curse under my breath. Someone had to have heard the explosion up on deck which means I only have a limited amount of time to figure out how to free Peter before someone shows up.

"Collin, keep a look out," I order.

"Yes, ma'am," he replies and walks outside the door.

My brow furrows in thought as I wrack my brain for any spell that could get him out of this. Then it comes to me. Before Peter has a chance to protest, I place my hands on his shoulders and immediately feel the electricity coursing through me.

I squeeze my eyes shut and tears stream down my cheeks. Then the pain disappears just as quickly as it started. I slump to the floor, suddenly feeling very drained. I then feel strong arms wrap themselves around me.

"Catherine, are you okay?" I hear Peter say close to my ear and I nod weakly.

"Yep. Never better," I say unconvincingly.

He sighs. "You shouldn't have done that," he says.

"Well, I did, so get over it," I reply, turning around to face him. Before he can say another word I place my lips on his and pull him close.

"Catherine, you-" he starts again, but I quickly cut him off with another kiss.

When I pull back I say, "The first one was supposed to be your cue to shut up."

He chuckles and replies, "Next time, I'll know better then."

I smile up at him, happy that he is okay and that we're together again.

It's then that Collin hurries into the room. "We gotta go, lass," he says as Peter pulls me to my feet.

"Alright then. Let's get to work," I say and take Peter's hand in mine.

The three of us then dash out of the cell and up the stairs, taking out a pirate along the way. When we reach the deck, we see that the Indians have joined the battle and it looks as if we'll win.

I look around for my mother, but she is no where to be seen which worries me.

"Look out!" Peter yells, pushing me out of the way. I hit the deck hard and quickly scramble back to my feet only to find Peter engaged in a fight with another pirate. I look around for Collin and find him in a similar situation.

I then turn around and see yet another pirate barreling towards me. I glare at the charging pirate and stand firmly in place. I then point to the ground directly in front of me and shout, _"Adtonitus."_

Lighting strikes the deck just in front of the pirate causing him to scream and run in the opposite direction. I smirk and continue to search for any sign of my mother.

It doesn't take long for me to find her because only seconds after my lightning strike, a huge blast is emitted from the center of the deck, sending pirates, boys, and indians all flying backwards.

I make my way forward to stand directly in front of Mother who is grinning broadly. "Hello Cathy," she greets.

"Mother," I reply.

"Sweetheart, you didn't really believe that this little plan of yours would work, did you?" Mother asks with overly-stressed concern.

I almost reply 'yes,' but quickly realize that it would be a lie. Instead I say, "I was hoping it would, but no, I didn't think it could end so easily."

"Hmm. Well, at least now I know you have a small amount of brain inside that pretty little head of yours," she says and I roll my eyes.

"I'm not going to go with you, Mother, so can we please just cut to the chase and get this over with?" I ask.

"Of course, dear. You know I've never been one for idle prattle," she says and I roll my eyes again at this statement.

"Just shut it, Mom," I say and deliver the first blow with a bolt of plasma. She easily deflects the blow and shakes her head at me.

"You're very strong, Cathy," she states as a staff appears in her right hand. "But you still have a great deal to learn."

She then slams her staff against the deck and a wave forms in the floorboards. My eyes widen and in an effort to protect myself and everyone behind me, I place my arms in front of me and push back the wave with a wall of magic. The floor boards slide back into place and I throw my mother a somewhat cocky smile.

"That's what you think," I say and leap into the air. While I'm up, I grab a loose rope from the mast. When I reach the ground, I spin the rope and drop it onto the deck. It turns into a very large diamond-back rattle snake.

It's my mother's turn to look surprised as the snake advances on her. She takes a couple steps back and it strikes at her. After it recoils, she points at it's mid-section and it erupts in flames. It completely engulfs the snake, leaving only ashes behind. I use this to my advantage and create a sort of dust storm that only surrounds Mother.

She shuts her eyes tight, clenches her fists, and when she unclenches them all the ashes disappear. She then performs a spell that gives her the ability to breath fire. I douse the flames as fast as I can with water for a few seconds, and once I realize that it really wasn't working, I summon a strong wind to fully put out the the flames. She then readies herself to perform another spell, but an idea comes to me and I beat her to it.

I wave my hand over the floor directly in front of her and two electric pulses jet out from it, wrapping themselves around her arms. Her new restraints then pull her to her knees and I raise my head confidently, breathing a silent sigh of relief.

I then pick up a sword that had probably been dropped earlier during the battle and approach my restrained mother. I point the sword at her throat and she looks up at me with a large smile.

"I'm impressed," she states.

"Don't be. I had a good teacher," I say and glance back at Peter who looks at me with pride. "Now," I continue, turning my attention back to her. "I am going to give you a choice to make. Either I cut you down right now with this sword."

"Or?" she asks.

"Or you can promise to leave this island and never return to harm anyone here ever again."

She contemplates my offer for a moment and then answers, "Fine, I will leave Neverland and never return."

I nod and wave my hand over her, releasing her from her bonds. She rises and says, "Until we meet again, Cathy." A cloud of smoke then surrounds her and she's gone.

I turn around to now address the pirates, "Would anyone else like to test my patience?"

They all shake their heads at me and I look to the captain. "Good, now if I find out that you or any other member of your crew ever brings her back, I swear that it will be the last thing you will ever do. Am I clear?"

"Crystal," James replies.

"Oh, and one more thing," I say and walk into Hook's cabin. It doesn't take me long to find what I'm looking for and I quickly bring it outside.

"I am officially freeing your _leverage_ over me, Captain," I exclaim as I raise up the lantern that holds captive a tiny fairy. I lift the small latch, open the door, and the pixie darts out. She nods to me in thanks and then whizzes off.

"Now boys, I do believe our work here is done," I finish and then walk over to Peter.

"Shall we?" he asks, extending his arm to me.

"Why thank you, sir. And yes, we shall," I reply while waving my hand towards the rest of the Lost Boys. The Indians are no where to be seen, so I assume that they left once their part was done.

Peter and I then take to the air, the boys right on our heels as we zoom towards camp. By the time we arrive, everyone is in a celebratory mood so Peter goes to fetch his pipe.

I follow him into his tent and when he notices my presence, he turns and smiles at me.

"Thank you, love, for saving my skin," he says, pulling me into his arms.

"Well, at least now I can say we're even," I reply and he chuckles.

"Yeah. Guess so," he says and kisses me.

I pull his closer, returning his kiss. Even if our separation wasn't that long, it still felt like a lifetime, and I realize that I have no idea what I would do without him. When he finally pulls back, I whisper, "I love you, Peter."

"I love you too, Catherine," he replies and kisses my nose.

I smile up at him and take his hand in mine. "They are probably getting impatient," I say.

Peter sighs. "Now I wish I hadn't agreed to play. All I really want to do is have a relaxing evening with you," he says.

"Who ever said that it'd be relaxing?" I say and wink at him.

He smiles dangerously and moves in to kiss me again but I quickly escape his grasp and hurry out through the tent flap.

We get settled on our usual log and he begins to play. We celebrate our victory for hours on end and at one point, Ethan pulls me up to join the dancing. I silently wish to myself that it could be this way all the time.

Then suddenly, Peter's pipe stops playing. I look over to him and see that he is clutching his chest, his face twisted in pain.

"Peter!" I shriek and dash over to him. I sit down next to him and attempt to move his hands away from his chest so that I can try and see what's wrong. All he does is clutch my hands, though. I gasp at how cold they are and I can see the color slowly draining from his face. He then slowly sinks to the ground, gasping for breath.

"Crap," Ethan says from behind me.

I turn to look at my brother. "What's happening? What's wrong with him?" I cry, desperately trying to think of anything that could take away Peter's pain.

"The Shift. It's started," Ethan states quietly.

I remember hearing that word somewhere, but can't seem to remember what it was. I then think back to the conversation I had with Peter inside Hangman's tree.

_As the Shift approaches, my powers begin to weaken and it will eventually kill me if its not performed in time. _

His words hit me like a punch to the stomach and I feel panic rise inside of me. I look back at Peter and see that he's fallen unconscious. I feel tears flood my eyes as I stroke his cheek softly.

"We have to get him to Skull Rock," Ethan states authoritatively.

"Why?" I ask, trying to get past the lump in my throat.

"Because that's where Pan usually takes the people he brings to the island to perform the Rejuvenation Spell which counteracts the Shift."

"How will that help us?" I ask.

"We might be able to find something there that can help us save him. Catey, it's his only hope," he explains.

I look back down at Peter's pain-stricken features and make up my mind.

"Meet us there," I order and the boys all nod in acknowledgement.

I then wrap my arms around Peter and transport the two of us to Skull Rock, where hopefully we can find a way to save him before I lose him again, this time forever.


	23. Chapter 23

_Catherine's POV_

**_I'm sad because this is the last chapter in The Captive. :'( But don't worry guys because although this book is over, there is a sequel on the way! YAY! I'd just like to thank everyone again for all their support and I hope you like the new and final chapter in The Captive. :D_**

* * *

><p>I arrive at Skull Rock, Peter wrapped in my arms. He is still unconscious and is growing paler by the minute. I lie him gently against a wall of the cave and look around, searching for any sign of magic.<p>

I round a corner and gasp at the sight. There, at the end of the cave, stands a gigantic hourglass that contains a sparkling dust. And almost all the dust has fallen to the bottom.

I run over to the towering timer and search around the base for anything that would give me a clue as to what to do. After circling the hourglass, I find a small hole in the front of the base that resembles a key hole.

I scramble back to Peter, knowing that if in fact it needed a key to unlock it, he would have it. I know this because he is one who would never let something of such great importance out of his sight.

I search through his numerous pockets until I find what I'm looking for. It's a skeleton-shaped key that looks as if it will fit in the hole in the hourglass. I hurry back to the key hole to test my theory and after I place the key into the lock, I hear a click and grin with satisfaction.

I take a step back, but nothing happens. Of course it couldn't be that easy. Nothing is ever that easy.

I sigh and run my fingers through my hair.

I look up at the hourglass to see how much time I have left and I start to panic when I see that I don't have much time.

I close my eyes and try to calm my nerves. When I reopen them, I notice something about the lock that I hadn't earlier.

Next to the key hole is a small symbol that depicts a small person with their hand covering their mouth as if whispering something to the key hole. I then understand that to open the door, I have to tell the lock what I'm willing to do.

I kneel down in front of the hole so that it can hear me when I whisper, "I am willing to die for him."

A little door with a handle then appears in the base of the hourglass and it swings open with a small sigh. A drawer then rolls out and inside it is a tiny purple cushion that has an imprint of a heart in it.

I now understand what is required of me and I look down at my feet. As if sensing my reluctance, the drawer begins to close.

"No, wait! Don't go!" I scream at it and it slowly begins to re-open again. I think for a little longer on what I have to do and the drawer waits patiently for me to do something.

"Hold on a sec. I'll be right back," I say to the drawer and then hurry back to Peter's side.

When I arrive, I see that the boys have finally shown up and Ethan is kneeling next to Pan.

As I approach, Ethan looks up and asks, "Have you figured it out?"

"Yes," I reply, "but you're not going to like it."

He stiffens as I say that and questions, "What do you have to do?"

"I think you already know the answer to that question," I reply and he sighs.

"Yeah," he says and then embraces me. "You know you don't have to do it if you don't want to. He'd understand," he whispers into my ear.

"It's my decision to make. Besides, it's his only chance," I reply.

"He wouldn't want you to die for him though," he says

"But I can't let him die. I wouldn't be able to live myself if he did, especially if I could have done something about it," I whisper through my tight throat and Ethan sighs heavily and then nods in understanding.

We pull apart and I say, "I'm ready. Can you help me carry him?"

"We can do it, Cat," Collin says from behind Ethan, and I nod.

I lead them to the area of the cave with the hourglass and all their jaws drop in awe.

"So I take it none of you have been here before?" I ask, trying to lighten the mood.

"No. Never. Pan forbids it," Davis says seriously and I swallow hard.

"Lay him down here," I order, gesturing to the wall closest to the hourglass. "And I suggest you all stand back. I'm not sure what is going to happen after..." I trail off and the boys look at me in understanding and sadness.

I kneel down next to the unconscious Peter and whisper so that only he could hear me if he was responsive, "Don't worry, love. I'll get you out of this."

I then softly kiss his cheek and rise to my feet. Ethan then embraces me again and whispers to me, "I love you, Catey."

"I love you too, Ethan," I reply. After we pull apart, I look to the other boys and see the fear and uncertainty in their eyes. "Take care of them for me, okay?" I ask Ethan and he nods.

I then stride confidently towards the little drawer that has remained open and I lower myself to the floor in front of it. Propping myself up on my knees, I look at the drawer and take a deep breath to calm my rapid heart beat and slow down my breathing. I then squeeze my eyes shut as I plunge my hand into my chest. I nearly cry out at the pain it causes but am able to keep it in.

I delicately pull my heart from my chest and once it's removed the pain goes away and I feel nothing. Not pain, not happiness, not sorrow, not fear. Not anything. I just sit there and stare blankly at the heart in my hands.

I hear whispers behind me, but I really don't care what the heck they are talking about. One of the whispering people raises his voice and seems as if he is trying to get my attention. I don't really feel like turning around so I don't.

I then lift my heart up and place it gently within the drawer. The drawer then contracts and once its fully closed, a bright light erupts from the center of the hourglass and the Earth begins to shake.

I'm having a hard time breathing and my vision is going blurry. Just as everything goes black, a familiar voice screams, "Catherine!"

I recognize the voice but can't seem to place it. Before I get a chance to find out who it is, a strange yet comforting warmth wraps itself around me and the world goes dark and everything becomes still.


End file.
